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Clear Channel Outdoor Rejects Two Billboards By St. Pete Pride

06/14/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
The decision by Clear Channel Outdoor to approve two ads by St. Pete Pride while allowing two other billboard ads to go through seems rather odd.  The two ads that they approved are of a male couple seated on a couch with a child and another ad with a drag queen on it.  The two which were rejected are of a male couple engaged in what appears to be a friendly hug and a female couple pictured flirting and about to kiss.  The ads were meant to be for St. Pete Pride’s eighth annual festival.  The decision to allow two ads but not the other two appears to be baffling in the least.

Chris Rudisill, the executive director of St. Pete Pride, wrote to Clear Channel Outdoor and said “the images that were not selected do not contain anything that is sexual, immoral, illegal or otherwise offensive in nature.  I’m almost certain that you have had billboards in the market which display men and women in both friendly and romantic ways.  I can’t seem to understand where these images would be any different, except for the fact that they portray two men and two women, respectively.”

Clear Channel Outdoor will not stated why the two billboards were rejected.  Tom O’Neill, their VP of Public Affairs For Tampa Bad Division.  They would only state “We do think its important to refute suggestions that (Clear Channel Outdoor) is not willing to display images of (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) couples showing affection.  Previous years’ campaigns for St. Pete Pride prove that is not the case.”

Rudisill stated that he did not want Clear Channel Outdoor altering the message that his organization was trying to make unlike last year.  This year, the messages on the billboards read “My family is fun,” and “My family is free,” on the two that were rejected, and “My family is fabulous & fearless,” and “My family is fierce,” on the two that were approved.

St. Pete Pride has decided to cancel the contract with Clear Channel Outdoor all together.  The decision may make it harder to get the word out about their event, but it appears that they would rather stand on principle than let Clear Channel Outdoor dictate their ads.

St. Pete Pride gay-themed digital billboards rejected by Clear Channel Outdoor