Positive representation has always been a struggle for the trans community. Often we're cast in a negative light, if our existence is acknowledged at all. But whether our existence is validated or not, we are here, and we have always been here.
In 2019, P&G ran a commercial for Gillette that featured a transgender man learning to shave from his father. It was a groundbreaking depiction of a universal right-of-passage, and many LGBTQ+ activists applauded the ad. Others expressed concern about brands jumping on the bandwagon inauthentically. The questions they asked encouraged P&G to examine their intentions and ensure that they didn’t view this advertisement as a one-time opportunity to represent the experiences of transgender men. It’s not always easy to have these conversations in a corporate environment, but P&G knows that visibility and proper representation matters. In the short film, “They Will See You,” we explore the history of LGBTQ+ advertising and meet the inspirational people whose lives have been impacted by seeing their stories represented on screen.
-Great Big Story: They Will See You: LGBTQ+ Visibility in Advertising
Last year P&G featured the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles in a national commercial for Pantene "Going Home for the Holidays Should Be Beautiful". And now they've released a short film about LGBTQIA+ representation in media called "They Will See You", which we are proud to be a part of.
We all have stories to tell, we all needed people and examples to look to when we were young. We're happy we're able to tell out story and hope that through efforts like this more will be able to do the same.