Watch: Dustin Lance Black’s anti-gay bullying Coca-Cola ad
By Will Stroude
Oscar-winning screenwriter and activist Dustin Lance Black has filmed a beautiful new short film for Coca-Cola which deals with teen sexuality and bullying.
Tom Daley’s other half has created ‘El SMS’ or ‘The Text’ as part of the company’s Latin American ‘#VerdaderoAmigo’ advertising campaign, about what makes a ‘true friend’.
The eight-minute clip charts the relationship of two adolescent friends, Rafael and Diego. When Diego sees a romantic message from another boy on Rafael’s phone, he covers for him in front of all their friends, while also accepting his friend’s sexuality.
Speaking to AdWeek about how the the collaboration with Coca-Cola came about, Black explained: “They knew they wanted to do one that was aimed at the LGBT community. And then they wanted to do two more that had the same idea of a crossroads moment where you’ve got to make a decision: Are you going to go the way of kindness, or are you going to go for the easy joke when someone’s having a tough time?
“If you do something with acceptance and kindness, you can create a true friendship.”
The 41-year-old – who recently shared an adorable snap of he and boyfriend Tom Daley on holiday together – went on to defend the film from accusations that it is commercially-motivated.
“Some of [the LGBT community] are very critical of what the intent of the brand might have been,” he said. “And I say, ‘Yes, their intent was to win a market, and their intent was to sell their product.’ My intent was to send the message that diversity is a good thing and LGBT people and their families deserve respect and love.
“Well, I’m not going to skip an opportunity to send a pro-equality message just because they’re selling a product alongside it.”
Watch ‘El SMS’ below:
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