A heartwarming clip is shining the spotlight on one of the most difficult decisions a young LGBT individual can make: coming out to the family.
Taiwan McDonalds, which is known as McCafe in the Asian nation, has released their 3rd and latest video from the “More Warmth in Conversations” campaign featuring a young gay man coming out to his father.
The 90-second commercial opens with a shot of a father and son sitting down for coffee at a McCafe table. The son writes a message on the coffee paper cup that reads:
I like men.
The father has a stern expression written all over his face and a less-than-happy meal ensues. Visibly upset, the father gets up and storms off, leaving his son dejected.
As the son is left alone at the table in despair, his father returns moments later. He grabs his son’s coffee cup and writes 3 additional letters above the original message, changing the sentence to:
I accept that you like men.
The 2 then exchange warm smiles before the tagline “Let there be more warmth in conversations” appears on the screen.
If only the gay-friendly ad, titled “Acceptance”, was met with such tolerance. Despite receiving mostly positive feedback from social media, it’s message of acceptance was received poorly with the country’s religious fundamentalists.
The Alliance of Taiwan Religious Groups for the Protection of Family has urged parents and consumers to boycott McDonalds. “Now, even if you want to just take a leak at a McDonald’s bathroom, you can’t help but feel polluted,” an Alliance spokesperson told Taiwanese outlets. It is important to note that homophobic views like that are in the minority as a poll of Taiwan citizens last year showed 71% in support of marriage equality.
We’d also like to commend both Leo Burnett Taiwan and McDonald’s for making such a bold statement. They were successful in highlighting what is generally a painful experience for so many and presenting it in a warmer and more inclusive context.
Watch the emotional clip below:
“We’re trying to urge people to start a conversation, to understand more and love more,” said Murphy Chou, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett Taiwan. The concept was about “how people have tough moments in life when feelings are beyond words, and how dialogue can be encouraged over a cup of coffee”.
“Another goal was to build awareness of McCafe and encourage people to see coffee as more than something to wake them up,” Chou added.
Sources: Same Same, Malay Mail, Creativity Online.
