From data-backed optimism to sharp humour and necessary truth-telling, this year’s Outvertising Live demonstrated exactly why representation in advertising still changes lives- and why the industry cannot afford to look away.

Here are a few highlights:

Advertising is sneaky stuff

Chris Dunne, CEO of Outvertising, opened the afternoon with his trademark blend of pop-culture references, humour and straight-talk. He acknowledged the turbulence of the past year, from DEI rollbacks to rising hate crime, while reminding the room of something vital:

“Not only is inclusive advertising and marketing proven by multiple studies to deliver positive business results, it also has the power to create societal change. Because it's sneaky stuff, this advertising business. You know, it can get into spaces that other content can't. It can reach audiences that would never willingly expose themselves to queer-centric content or content with positive, dynamic queer storylines and characters. Frequent, authentic LGBTQ representation in advertising could help smash stereotypes and chip away at prejudice.”

Brands must stay the course

If anyone arrived assuming LGBTQIA+ media was struggling, Stream Publishing’s Darren Styles was ready to dismantle the narrative, and he did so gloriously. Contrary to market myths, advertisers haven’t fled. In fact, long-term partners, Virgin Atlantic, Bentley, M&S, British Airways, are doubling down.

“Attitude is thriving… record revenues, record returns, record growth,” Darren noted.

His message to the industry was crystal clear:

“If brands are staying the course, and many are, others will be encouraged to do the same. Don’t talk the market down. Talk it up.”

In his conversation with comedian and M&S Food ambassador Tom Allen, this rang even more true, with Tom calling for brands to double down on queer inclusion:

“The more we embed ourselves as queer people into the national psyche—as people who are simply everywhere you go, like M&S sandwiches on everyone’s desk at lunchtime—the more impact we have. By showing up like that, we’re not only meeting a commercial aim, which is what advertising is about, but also a cultural one: to be here, to be among everyone, to be fully embedded.”

A reminder that visibility is a statement.

Shame grows in the dark

Advocacy Director Cassius Naylor led a powerful discussion with Rosie Kitson (Chief Impact Officer, Havas), Marty Davies (CEO, Smarty Pants Consulting & Founder, Trans+ History Week), and Matthew Chu (UK Co-Chair, WPP Unite).

They discussed a major shift in advocacy: it hasn’t stopped, it’s simply changed form. Three truths stood out:

• Psychological safety is the new frontline: Internal cultures are where inclusion must start. Rosie shared that employees demanded more substance and fewer performative gestures: “If they're not feeling it internally, there’s no press release in the world that can fix that.”

• Leadership sponsorship now matters more than ever: Matthew described how WPP now has senior execs actively sponsoring LGBTQIA+ groups, something “unthinkable eight years ago.”

• Visibility still matters and silence is dangerous: Marty reminded the room that we must not become comfortable with a lack of visibility because “Shame grows in the dark.”

Privilege isn’t about guilt; it’s about awareness and responsibility

Hosted by Communications Co-Director Sonnie Spencer, attendees were asked to confront the lived experiences behind the words power, privilege and identity.

It was raw, revealing and often uncomfortable- which was precisely the point.

Paddle-raising moments exposed stark differences in lived experiences- from being misgendered to hiding a partner at work.

Sonnie offered a practical tool anyone can use:

“The power of the pause. When someone says something unacceptable…pause. You don’t have to say anything to say everything.”

Agencies must step up when brands step back

Media leaders across the industry tackled the hardest challenge: How do you deliver inclusive media when DEI isn’t in the brief?

For Natalie Tyre, Director at BRiM, brands still want to reach broad, diverse audiences—they’re simply using different language to describe it:

“They’re not calling it DEI… but they are talking about marketing effectiveness.”

Jerry Daykin, International Head of Media at RBI, reinforced that while few marketers actively oppose inclusion, many are overwhelmed and need help seeing beyond their own blind spots, reminding the room that media is both a commercial investment and an investment in shaping the media ecosystem of the future.

With that in mind, agencies now have a responsibility to lead when brands pull back. As Kara Osborne, Global Product Architect Officer at dentsu, put it:

“If you’re doing the right job, you should still be advocating for representation, even if it’s not in the brief.”

And the danger of retreating is significant:

“We must avoid creating a vacuum. If we don’t show up, we feed the narrative.”

Key takeaways from the day

1. Representation drives effectiveness and growth

2. Safety and inclusion begin internally

3. Listening is leadership

4. Measurement is the next frontier for progress

5. Visibility remains an act of courage and resistance

Darren Styles will be joining as the new keynote speaker and will  explore his perspective on the last decade for queer inclusion and how inclusive media owners and brands can maintain strong relationships in this challenging social climate. He will then be joined by M&S Food Ambassador, Tom Allen for a discussion about his journey as a LGBTQIA+ public figure and the approach M&S has taken to championing year-round inclusivity. Allen is a household name on British TV, serving as the host of The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice and The Apprentice: You’re Fired, and appearing on popular shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You and The Last Leg. 

Other speakers include System1 and Outvertising’s  Andrew Tindall, Trans+ activist and Campaign columnist Marty Davies, Havas UK’s Chief Impact Officer Rosie Kitson, ex-CEO of UM London, Kara Isborne Gladwell, and Ipsos’s UK Head of Creative Excellence, Eleanor Thornton-Firkin, with more  to be announced soon. 

Other highlights to expect this year include: 

• Adland advocacy in 2025: We will explore  strategies, opportunities and obstacles for LGBTQIA+ advocacy in the current climate.

• Understanding privilege: Through  an interactive session, we will unpack  how privilege and marginalisation shape workplace culture, leadership and opportunity in the industry. 

• Inclusive media: practical insights into building inclusive media plans. 

• Exclusive first look at Outvertising’s pioneering Ad Index study, the UK’s first standard metric for LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in creative communications.

This year’s headline sponsors include Attitude, Channel 4, Publicis Groupe UK, with further support from Durex and Infosum. Campaign UK is the official media partner. Contributions from our partners help make this event possible. 

Over 200+ marketers are expected to attend, making it a vital date in the calendar for those shaping a more inclusive industry.

You can grab your  tickets here. 

Chris Dunne, CEO, Outvertising, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome some incredible star power to the Outvertising Live stage this year. Darren Styles has been at the forefront of queer media for decades, and his perspective on inclusive storytelling has never been more important. Pairing him with the brilliant Tom Allen, whose voice and visibility continue to inspire audiences across the UK,  promises a session that will be both powerful and deeply personal. It’s promising to be the best Outvertising Live yet with insight that’s not to be missed.” 

Caroline and Hannah bring a wealth of commercial experience and leadership to the board, joining to help Outvertising scale its commercial offering, secure partnerships with agencies and brands, and develop new revenue opportunities. Kush will be working alongside the existing Events Co-Director to curate and deliver Outvertising’s year long events programme, including its annual flagship conference, Outvertising Live. Dan’s appointment further strengthens the operational backbone of Outvertising where he will oversee delivery of the operational strategy, internal collaboration across teams, and facilitate the success of strategic initiatives and governance as the organisation continues to grow. 

Caroline Sajas leads the UK business at Locala as SVP of Sales, where she is responsible for driving commercial growth, building high-performing teams, and deepening client relationships. With a background spanning sales and operations, Caroline has helped scale Locala’s UK team while maintaining a collaborative, people-first culture. 

Hannah March is Chief Growth Officer at Fold7, where she sits on the executive leadership team, overseeing new business and marketing. She has held senior roles across agency, consultancy and tech, including CI&T, Engine, and Oystercatchers, and is known for her sharp strategic thinking and values-driven leadership. She was recently named as one of Campaign’s 40 Over 40.

Kush Shah is a Software Engineer and Application Owner at IBM. They also co-lead a business resource group focused on culture and inclusion, representing the LGBTQIA+ community. Kush is also part of the team at RepresentAI, a community initiative aimed at elevating women, non-binary individuals, LGBTQIA+ people, and allies who aspire to work in AI, tech, and digital fields across industries.

Dan Cox brings more than two decades of operational and client leadership experience in media and technology. In his current role at Snowflake, he leads the global partnership with WPP, helping clients unlock value through data and AI. Dan previously held senior roles at Salesforce Marketing Cloud and in the IP and royalties space. Alongside his commercial experience, Dan has led inclusion work as Co-President of Salesforce's LGBTQIA+ ERG, Outforce, delivering high-impact initiatives including reverse mentoring and community representation programmes. He will be taking over from Ceri Parkes-Brincat (she/her) who stepped down from the COO role earlier this year. 

These new appointments follow the addition of Andrew Tindall (he/him) and Dane Kaagman (he/him) to the board earlier this year. Andrew joined as Deputy Intelligence Director, while Dane was named Community Director. Together, these hires reflect Outvertising’s commitment to building a representative, skilled, and high-impact leadership team that can continue to nurture, represent and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community in the advertising industry. 

Chris Dunne (he/him), CEO, Outvertising, said: “We feel incredibly lucky to be welcoming such accomplished individuals to our leadership team - each bringing valuable expertise from across the industry and unique lived experience from right across the LGBTQIA+ community. At a time when our industry is looking for ways to re-energise its commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion, this dynamic and refreshed team is perfectly positioned to lead the charge.”

As part of the industry’s All In Action Plan, led by the Advertising Association, ISBA, and the IPA, Outvertising has launched Pronouns in Adland, a new guide designed to help industry organisations create safer and more welcoming environments where people can readily share their pronouns. 

Outvertising’s mission is to help the media and advertising industry to become truly LGBTQIA+ inclusive by educating and training the industry to become active allies, and encouraging and assisting brands and their agency partners to create more authentic LGBTQIA+ inclusive work. Pronouns in Adland is the latest in a series of resources produced by Outvertising to help facilitate this mission and give the industry the tools and insight to be more inclusive. 

Pronouns in Adland will help organisations on their allyship journey and improve the experience of their talent. Using and celebrating pronouns signals to LGBTQIA+ people that they are accepted and welcome and to non-LGBTQIA+ people that inclusion matters. The guide has been designed to remedy confusion over the usage of pronouns by exploring their importance, unpacking commonly used terms and pronouns associated with gender-identity, and guiding readers on tips to overcome challenging or awkward conversations. 

This guide also celebrates several organisations- dentsu, VCCP, the7stars and McCann Worldgroup- that have introduced pronouns into their workplace, sharing their experiences to unpack effective learning for others. This includes the importance of it being led by the CEO, being viewed as a gradual introduction and the start of an ongoing journey of education and training, and forming part of day-to-day, recruitment and retention activities. 

Today, we’re announcing the appointment of four new Co-Directors to its management board as part of its mission to attract the best industry talent to supercharge its growth mission. The new hires are: Sonnie Spenser (they/them) as Communications Co-Director; Kat Marshall (she/her) as Events Co-Director; Tash Beecher (she/her) as Creative Co-Director; and Marc Allenby (he/him) as Creative Co-Director. 

Sonnie Spenser joins Outvertising as the new Communications Co-Director. Sonnie is a Digital Marketing Manager at Fresh Pies, and the Director of Outreach for Trans+ History Week. They will work alongside the existing Co-Director to grow Outvertising’s reputation within the industry, the media and beyond. 

Kat Marshall takes on the role of Outvertising’s Events Co-Director. Kat is an events and marketing professional with a decade of experience in diversity-driven marketing, PR, and advertising. She has curated events for brands like Channel 4, JP Morgan, Getty Images, and Meta. In addition to her day job as a Paid Social Campaign Manager, Kat collaborates with Pride Edinburgh and Monumental Marketing. She will be responsible for delivering Outvertising’s year-long events programming, including monthly socials, industry events and Outvertising’s annual flagship event, Outvertising Live. 

Outvertising also welcomes Tash Beecher and Marc Allenby as its new creative team as they both step into the Creative Co-Director role. Tash brings nearly two decades of award-winning creative communications experience, and is currently a Creative Director at Syneos Health and Executive Creative Director at Pocc, an organisation effecting change through creativity, activism and non-traditional means. Marc Allenby is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Hijinks, the UK’s first female and queer-owned advertising agency. Marc has a passion for diversity in advertising which can be seen in his work throughout his career, an most recently his D&AD shortlisted campaign Legalitees, which put legal rights on the front of t-shirts.  Together, they will oversee the creative expression of the Outvertising brand and develop and execute through-the-line campaigns that celebrate and amplify Outvertising’s key projects. 

Marty Davies (she/they) will also be stepping down from her role as Joint CEO of Outvertising in August. Marty stepped into the Joint CEO role in February last year. Throughout her time within Outvertising, Marty has played a critical role in growing the organisation's position as a vital industry voice, delivering its flagship annual event, Outvertising Live, and advocating across the industry and beyond for businesses to take action. She has led the conversation on adspend’s role in funding mis/disinformation and dangerous anti-trans narratives in the media - a topic which now commands the attention of the industry.

Marty will be redirecting her focus towards her consultancy, Smarty Pants Consultancy Limited to support brands in getting LGBTQIA+ representation right. She also seeks to grow Trans+ History Week CIC, which held its inaugural event in May this year. The new not for profit will invest in trans+ creative talent to tell trans+ history stories. Marty will also continue their role on Transport for London’s advertising steering group where she’ll advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and champion Outvertising’s work. 

Outvertising will be recruiting for a new Joint CEO, alongside a number of other Management Board roles in the Events and Advocacy teams, to help lead the organisation on its mission to make the industry truly LGBTQIA+ inclusive. 

Chris Dunne (he/him), Joint CEO, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome our new Management Board members to the team. They are a group of amazing, talented people with the kind of experience and expertise that will help to supercharge Outvertising for the next phase of its evolution. More than ever before, we need the best in the business to join our mission to make the industry a better place for LGBTQIA+ talent. It’s particularly vital after a near-silent Pride Month, in which brands have continued to pull back from their investment in the community. 

Of course, with the happiness that comes with an expanding team, we’re also saying goodbye to Marty, who has been an integral part of Outvertising’s success over the last few years. She is a force in the industry and has supported my transition into the Joint CEO role with grace and patience. I will miss working alongside her but I cannot wait to see her continued impact through everything she does.” 

Marty Davies (she/they), outgoing Joint CEO, said:  “I gained such an incredible amount from my time at Outvertising. Stepping into the CEO role enabled me to find my voice in trade press and lead the industry on issues that mattered to queer people - catapulting my profile in the process. It opened up my network dramatically in the queer sector. It gave me leadership experience managing all sorts of interesting challenges in a not for profit org which instilled me with the confidence to set up Trans+ History Week CIC. I’m excited for Outvertising to grow as a catalyst for change in the industry and I will be watching and cheering proudly from the sidelines”. 

Creative Equals, Outvertising, Smarty Pants, The Unmistakables and Utopia announce the launch of a new collective, Allies Coming Out for Trans+ (ACT+), which seeks to encourage support of the trans+ community amongst Marketing and Communications leaders. The collective will join forces to provide positivity as well as practical and tangible ways that leaders in the industry can come forward as allies in the election year. 

This comes at a time of a record breaking number of hate crimes against trans+ people in England and Wales according to the Home Office. A recent report recognised that “transgender issues have been heavily discussed by politicians, the media and on social media over the last year, which may have led to an increase in these offenses, or more awareness in the police in the identification and recording of these crimes.”.  This is an even more important task following Ofcom Chairman Michael Grade’s address to the industry that we must ‘get ahead of the harm’ and make ‘trust and safety a priority’, at the Lead Conference last month. 

Outvertising's Consumer Research report found that 60% LGBTQIA+ people in the UK are more likely to say that brands should express their views on political or social issues, and 64% say they are more likely to reject a brand if its views are not aligned with their own. 50% of non-LGBTQIA+ people say the same. More importantly, the majority of people say they are "not prejudiced" toward transgender people. And critically, marketers are aligned: three in four say the Bud Light fallout didn’t change their attitude towards purpose, according to the latest Contagious Radar report. 

Companies that have joined the collective include Bloom, Cannes Lions, Contagious, D&AD, Join Our Table, Pocc, Reckitt Benckiser, SheSays, Trans in the City, Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, YouTube, WACL, WARC and WPP Unite. The executive briefing will gather agency and brand leaders including WPP and Google in an evening of discussion, including interrogating the media being funded to end ‘dirty attention’, specifically advocating for the divestment from disinformation and sensationalism, and increasing representation in the industry’s creative output. 

We’re happy to announce the appointment of Chris Dunne (he/him) as our new Joint CEO. Working alongside existing Joint CEO, Marty Davies (she/they), Chris will use his extensive network and industry experience to ensure that LGBTQIA+ inclusion remains a priority amongst brands and agencies, and evolve and expand Outvertising’s comprehensive training and development resources that support organisations to do this. 

Dunne takes over the role from outgoing Joint CEO, Lucy Mckillop, having spent the last 18 months as one of Outvertising’s Events Co-Directors where he led creation and curation of Outvertising’s internal and external events, including its flagship conference, Outvertising Live. In his new position, Dunne will work with Davies to continue Outvertising’s mission to influence organisations to better understand, protect and nurture LGBTQIA+ talent, and ensure there is greater, more authentic LGBTQIA+ representation across the industry’s creative output.  

Alongside Outvertising, Dunne is the Head of Marketing at Thinkbox, the marketing trade body for TV advertising in the UK, and has a career in the media and marketing industry that spans 20 years and several high profile marketing roles at media companies including Global, Guardian Media Group and DMG Media. 

As part of this new chapter of stewardship, Outvertising is also pleased to announce the appointment of new non-executive directors as part of its growth trajectory and expanding network of industry leaders at the helm. The new additions to the non-exec lineup will be responsible for providing governance as the organisation grows, and supporting Dunne and the entire executive board on its journey to increase the diversity, reach and influence of the organisation. 

The appointments include; Diana Tickell, Former NABS CEO; Jerry Daykin, VP Head of Media at Beam Suntory; Joanne Lucy, Group Managing Director at Major Players; Jose-Luiz Moura, former Salesforce UK and Ireland COO; Leng Montgomery, Senior Manager, Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Burberry; Matt Foster, Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Ogilvy UK; Russell Hunter, Head of Legal and Regulatory Compliance at ClearChannel International; and Scott Stockwell, Senior Brand Strategist at IBM.

Chris Dunne, Joint CEO, said of his appointment: “Outvertising is a profound force for good in the advertising industry. I’m so proud to be taking up this role to help build on the impressive momentum that has already been set by Marty and our remarkable leadership and volunteer team. I’m looking forward to working with all sides of our industry, to celebrate brilliant and effective LGBTQIA+ inclusive campaigns. And, at a time when the queer community is facing a rise in discrimination and hate crime, to inspire brands and agencies to produce more of this type of work more often.”

“Advertising is a powerful force for societal change, and the vast majority of the people who work in advertising are in my experience enlightened and progressive. Together we can help steer advertising in the best direction and maximise its power for good. I can’t wait to get started.”

Joint CEO Marty Davies commented on the appointments: “I’m excited to be welcoming Chris to the new role, and to work alongside the impressive lineup of new non-executives who are joining us to supercharge our mission. Outvertising’s reach and influence in UK adland continues to grow and so does the ambition of the whole volunteer team. But we still have much work to do to keep issues important to us high on the agenda in the boardroom - especially in an election year where trans+ people are being used as a distraction by politicians. Ad land must address a funding model which incentivises sensationalised and disinformative content about our community, and we must reestablish the commercial case for representation in creative work and protect the wellbeing of our queer talent. All this takes time, energy and skill to advocate for so I could not think of a more impressive team to make it happen.”

Outvertising is proud to have been nominated this year, in part, for our successful campaigning during Pride Month urging brands to stand proudly behind their Pride campaigns during a year where they have been met with coordinated attacks. Even more so as our work is delivered by a group of volunteers who work with organisations large and small to achieve our mission to make the marketing and advertising industry completely LGBTQIA+ inclusive. We do this through supporting the queer community working in the sector, and by encouraging better, and more authentic representation of our community in the output of the industry.

Fossil Free Pride has a right to protest. As a wider movement that is born from protest we should respect that by listening to the argument they are making and the action they are seeking. Every industry and every business has a role to play in ensuring we invest in the tools, talent and thinking that pushes towards a sustainable future.

As an organisation, we encourage advertisers and agencies to act as “good corporate citizens” through inclusion, representation and policy. We hold ourselves accountable in the same way, and being aware of our impact on and contribution to the climate emergency makes up an important part of that. Of course, we encourage those we work with to do the same. For our own Outvertising events, we do not accept sponsorship from organisations that Fossil Free Pride have recommended avoiding. Specifically, those fossil fuel corporations listed in the Carbon Underground 200 and those that feature on the latest Banking on Climate Chaos report.

It should be noted that it has become harder to develop sponsorships for LGBTQIA+ events this year. We must acknowledge that there is a nervousness from organisations to align publicly with and advocate for our community due to the rise in anti-trans sentiment in particular. We’re currently experiencing this with our own event taking place next month.

As a volunteer organisation we have to stay laser focused on our mission and purpose. To this end, we cannot police everyone that our partners work with, or investigate the depth of the reasoning behind those partnerships. But we have spoken with both Fossil Free Pride and PinkNews prior to making this statement and have encouraged dialogue.

We hope that PinkNews will be listening to Fossil Free Pride’s message and work hard to do what is right and important. 

As ever, our mission stays the same: to make the UK marketing and advertising industry completely LGBTQIA+ inclusive. And we look forward to tonight’s event.

 The Group is chaired by Dr Mee Ling Ng OBE. Marty has been newly appointed at the same time as disability, inclusion & accessibility specialist Shani Dhanda and both will be working alongside a number of leading industry figures including Deputy Mayor of Transport, Seb Dance and Chair of ad agency MullenLowe, Tom Knox.

The Group, formed in 2016 with its first meeting in 2017, was established to provide strategic advice and guidance about TfL’s Advertising Policy and to help TfL and its partners to ensure advertisements are responsible and respectful whilst also generating the much-needed revenue to reinvest in the transport network. The Advertising Policy sets out the standards for commercial advertising that will be accepted on TfL’s advertising estate, one of the most significant advertising estates in the world,  and is put into practice on TfL’s behalf by its advertising partners.

Marty has been invited to join as an industry expert and LGBTQIA+ advocate. She will be working hard to ensure that the advertising industry follows clear guidelines and promotes a collaborative approach to advertising development. Their goal is to enable and encourage brands to produce advertising that reflects the diverse audience on the TfL network, with a particular focus on the LGBTQIA+ community.

This announcement follows the launch of Outvertising’s Pride month intervention, which has seen 120+ organsaitions support the LGBTQIA+ community by committing to braving an organised campaign of backlash against brands including Trans+ talent in their ads. Organisations have called for brands to back up their inclusion pledges with meaningful action and divesting from media that profit from disinformation. 

Marty was also recently appointed as Campaign Magazine’s first transgender columnist. Through their monthly column – A Queer View – Marty will be using this platform to further address the issue of representation in advertising and hold the industry to account for the ways brands and agencies can influence media coverage of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Marty said of their appointment: "It's very important to me that LGBTQIA+ people are usualised in our media. It’s my belief that positive authentic representation of our community will reduce hate speech and hate crime. In England and Wales, hate crime relating to sexual orientation has increased by 126% over the past five years, and 156% for trans people over the same period.

Advertising is one of the most ubiquitous media there is and TfL's advertising estate is one of the most iconic in the world. I hope through my appointment that I can be part of that continued effort to further develop the TfL advertising estate as a place where queer and Trans+ Londoners see themselves. A place where we continue to celebrate our community and drive acceptance."

Chair of the Group, Dr Mee Ling Ng OBE, commented: “I was delighted to welcome Marty Davies to the Advertising Steering Group and look forward to the important perspective they will bring to our meetings with their lived and professional experience. The role of the Advertising Steering Group is to oversee TfL’s Advertising Policy and its application across TfL’s extensive advertising estate. It is really important we have diverse representation on the Group to reflect the diversity of our communities in London.”

We’re thrilled to report that over 100 organisations have endorsed our Pride statement, calling for businesses to stand behind their campaigns this Pride month. 

The statement has been endorsed by industry networks, agencies and advocacy groups including the WFA (World Federation of Advertisers), ISBA, Advertising Association, DMA, The Marketing Society, IAB UK, The Alliance of Independent Agencies, dentsu, OMG UK, Mindshare, EssenceMediacom, adam&eveDDB, Ogilvy UK, Grey London, Publicis Egalite, VMLY&R, The Social Element, The&Partnership, RAPP UK, D&AD, WACL, Pocc, WPP Unite and Trans+ Adland. 

There has also been an outpouring of support from other advocacy and community groups, charities and Pride organisations including Pride in London, InterPride, Queer Britain, GLAAD, Stonewall, Galop, Switchboard, TransActual, Trans In The City, DIVA magazine and Gay Times. 

By endorsing our statement, each organisation has committed to stand firm in their commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community, as we call on advertisers to persevere with their Pride campaigns, and recommend a number of measures to demonstrate authentic, effective allyship. This involves braving an organised campaign of backlash, and then substantiating pledges with meaningful action, including divestment from media that profit from disinformation. 

To view the full list of organisations who have signed the pledge, please visit the Outvertising statement here. 

Anti-LGBTQIA+ groups are relentlessly attacking brands that demonstrate allyship with our community.

As part of their efforts to halt and roll back LGBTQIA+ inclusion in society at large, these fringe groups are attempting to erase our community in the media, including in the ads people see.

The Trans+ community are weathering the brunt of this targeted campaign of hate and they must be protected. But this hate is not limited to our Trans+ friends – the whole LGBTQIA+ community are feeling the effects.

There’s no room for performative gestures or empty commitments in 2023: love is love, but money talks.

Our message this Pride Month, and every month, is clear:

The LGBTQIA+ community will not be silenced, and we will not be erased. 

Our community will remain visible. LGBTQIA+ people belong in ads. Trans+ people belong in ads. 

How to stand your ground:

• Brands with Pride ads: Run them.

• Brands working with LGBTQIA+ talent: Protect them.

• Brands with Pride event plans: Keep them.

• Brands with Pride products: Display them.

• Brands with rainbow logos: Back up this declaration with meaningful actions.

• Brands that come under attack: Brave the backlash.

• Brands with media spend: Invest in media that match your values. Divest from media that spread disinformation.

This is a time that calls for commitment and courage.

If your brand’s allyship comes under attack this Pride Month, we advise you not to waver in your resolve because of a hateful few. Your action can be made in the sound knowledge that you have the majority behind you. 2 in 3 under 60s (66%) think it’s important to fight discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.*

Stand your ground. 

You can find more advice on how to confidently stand your ground in the Outvertising Guide, in The Media Guide and in the Employer Guidance on the resources section of our website.

*Portland - Generation A - Z report

Organisations calling on all brands to stand their ground this Pride Month:

Advocacy group

Bloom UK

Brixton Finishing School

Media for All

WACL

Agency

Across the Pond

BCW

Born Social

Bountiful Cow

Carat

dentsu X

distillery

EssenceMediacom

EssenceMediacomX

Grey

LondonHarvard PR

Hill + Knowlton Strategies

Lightboat Media

Mindshare

mSix & Partners

Ogilvy

RAPP

SHARE Creative

Teamspirit

The&Partnership

the7stars

TransMission PR

VMLY&R

Wavemaker

Mullen Lowe

Havas London

The Social Element

Pocc

Landor & Fitch

iPROSPECT

Propeller Group

CMI Media Group

Barkley

OMG UK (including agencies OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science, MG OMD, DRUM and Fuse)

Media Bounty

Weirdo

Be The Fox

D&AD

CLICKON

adam&eveDDB

Gaybors Agency

The 3% Movement

David&Goliath

We Are Rosie

TMW Unlimited

Media.Monks

We Are Social

Weber Shandwick UK

Association

Advertising Association

Conscious Advertising Network

DMA - Data and Marketing Association

IAB

UKISBA

The Alliance of Independent Agencies

The Marketing Society

The World Federation of Advertisers

Charities

Mermaids

NABS

Not A Phase

Stonewall

The Film and TV Charity

#TransPeopleAreLoved Campaign

Switchboard LGBTQ+ Helpline

Community Groups

Global Butterflies

InterMedia UK

Intersex

Equality Rights UK

Queer Britain

Trans In The City

Trans+ Adland Community

TransActual

GLAAD

DEI Consultancy

Indigo Inclusion

Creative Equals

Do the WeRQ

Diversity Role Models

The Unmistakables

ERG

MRSpride

OPEN Pride UK (The Omnicom LGBTQ+ ERG)

Publicis Groupe Egalité UK

TruePride Alliance at McCann Worldgroup UK

WPP Unite

Havas Pride

Holding Group

dentsu

OOH Specialist

Kinetic

Pride

Medway Pride CIC

Pride in London

Rainbows Over Medway

Platform

Queer AF

Medway Pride Radio

Good-Loop

Union

Creative Communications Workers

Publications

WARC

Diva

Gay Times

Media Owner

Clear Channel UK

Supporters

Interpride

European Pride Organisers Association

Galop

Asians in Advertising

Recruitment

Major Players

Production Studio (OOH)

DOOH.com

Specialist Research Agency

The Diversity Standards Collective

If you are interested in endorsing/supporting please drop us an email.

Cassius is an independent D&I advisor and freelance software engineer, with a diverse client-facing career history spanning journalism and publishing, communications, consultancy and enterprise technology. Most recently he was global communications coordinator at the Financial Times, where he also led the organisation's award-winning LGBTQ+ employee network Proud FT. He served on the steering committee of Intermedia UK in this capacity, and has advised media, advertising and technology sector decision-makers on LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace throughout. He has been working with Outvertising in various capacities since 2018, including having helped launch the second edition of the Outvertising Guide in 2019.

Nikky Lyle (she/her) - Community & Culture Co-Director

Nikky Lyle is a Creative Recruiter with conscience and a decade of creative recruitment experience. 

She’s also founder of Graphic Design Jobs UK, Vice President of Hope at Post Quarantine, TEDx  Speaker, The Dots list of 100+ Rising Stars, past D&AD Judge, Side Hustle Cheerleader and Domestika Teacher. 

Luke Millican (he/him) - Commercial Co-Director

Luke has been an agency side digital leader at Dentsu and GroupM. He is now a Client Partner at Meta where he works with FMCG business across EMEA. He’s passionate about developing future generations of LGBTQIA+ talent in the industry and spends time mentoring and supporting their development.

Dr Rodney Collins (he/him) - Intelligence Co-Director

Dr. Rodney Collins is the Global Head of Human Sciences at McCann Worldgroup. As a professional anthropologist, Rodney believes in the urgency of culture to drive meaningful action, whether that is in a protest march or a board room. He is committed to partnering with leaders to architect models for cultural and social change. 

Daniel Sinclair (he/him) - Commercial Co-Director

As an Advertising Sales Manager at WeTransfer, Daniel collaborates with brands and agencies to deliver outstanding digital campaigns. He has a wealth of experience in various roles within the advertising world that require a commercial mindset. He’s also had the pleasure of being a mentor through the Outvertising mentorship scheme and has a passion for all things automotive in his spare time.

Naresh Subhash (he/him) - Creative Co-Director

Naresh is a Deputy Creative Director at MadeBrave - a global brand and creative agency based in Glasgow and London. He was also a mentor for DnAD shift, a contributing writer at Creative Moment as well as a judge across several creative awards across the industry. He works closely with clients and agency to elevate diversity and equity in brand and creative work ensuring that together they authentically represent people and communities. 

Pink News’ Amelia Hansford approached Outvertising for comment on the Dylan Mulvaney and Budlight Story. You can read the full article here. Below is our full response.

LGBTQIA+ representation in advertising isn’t new. Ikea was advertising furniture in the states in 1994 with a gay male couple. Something we regularly cover in our most popular talk, ‘Outvertising presents: A Very Brief History of LGBTQIA+ Advertising.’ You see LGBTQIA+ talent in ads of all kinds and for all sorts of products and services because it has been proven that adverts that include our community outperform adverts that don’t. And they do so in ways brands care about; things like brand recall, affinity and purchase intent. Looking at the US market in particular, a GLAAD study recently identified that if a brand publicly supports and demonstrates a commitment to expanding and protecting LGBTQ+ rights, Americans are 2x more likely to buy that brand. Of course you’re going to see businesses adopt practices that help them perform commercially.

The great thing is, our queer community also benefits. Our lives and experiences can be ‘usualised’ in the most ubiquitous of all media, advertising. This leads to greater acceptance and understanding for our community and ultimately queer liberation and social equity for all.

It is important for businesses, their brands, and their marketing teams to recognise that authentic and meaningful community support is the expectation. WPP’s Beyond The Rainbow report, published last year, found that 3 out of 4 LGBTQ+ people and half of non-LGBTQ+ people think brands should do more to support the community outside of Pride Month. What this means in practice is that businesses must be driving forward inclusion in their delivery of products and services (things like changing room policies) and their work environments (things like encouraging pronoun sharing). And it means identifying meaningful ways where your business can support the queer charity sector. Again these are all things our volunteer organisation, Outvertising, regularly advocate for when we speak with businesses. 

We are currently experiencing a period of intensified trans moral panic, certainly in both the UK and the US. In this climate it’s even more important for LGBTQIA+ talent to be properly safeguarded - this must be a key consideration for brands as they plan campaigns with LGBTQIA+ talent - something we advocate for in our work. As the conversation surrounding influencer and content creator Dylan Mulvaney’s sponsored posts for both Nike and Bud Light show, trans people, particularly ones in the spotlight, are facing an inordinate amount of abuse online and unfortunately from commentators, some platformed by mainstream media outlets. Abuse like that, particularly at this scale, will undoubtedly be having a detrimental impact.

- comment from Joint CEO of Outvertising, Marty Davies (they/them)

“One thing we don’t talk about enough is the impact of LGBTQIA+ representation for the queer people working on those marketing campaigns. As affirming as it feels to see positive representation in your own work, I’ve also unfortunately had the experience of successfully selling trans talent to big brands, who were then unable to stand by that talent when the inevitable wave of transphobic toxicity swamped them online.

It’s one thing watching prejudiced consumers lash out at brands for showing allyship to trans creators. And don’t get me wrong - it hurts to watch. But it’s quite another working behind the scenes to push for positive queer representation, getting it out into the world, and then finding out too late that your client brand was ill-equipped or not well informed enough to support our community when it counts.”

- comment from Joint Founder of Trans+ Adland & Outvertising Co-Director, Jax Kenrick (they/them)

This delay is because detailed data on sexuality and gender identity, based on the 2021 Census, is expected to be released later this year. YouGov and Outvertising are dedicated to ensuring that the OCR includes insight into the full spectrum of our LGBTQIA+ audiences and, as such, are waiting for the release of this data to ensure that the research and report accurately represents the LGBTQIA+ population.

Both YouGov and Outvertising are dedicated to the cause of making marketing and advertising completely LGBTQIA+ inclusive, and we recognise that the journey is about progress, not perfection. This report will be one part of a larger initiative between YouGov and Outvertising to ensure that we drive for ever more inclusive data collection, and ensure insights are representative and accessible.

Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old trans girl, was stabbed to death in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington on February 11th. During the hearing on the following Wednesday, the prosecutor told the court that Brianna's death was "extremely brutal and punishing". Two teenagers, a boy and girl both aged 15, have now been charged with her murder and will stand trial in July.

The police said they were investigating the possibility that it was an anti-trans hate crime.

UK newspapers have stoked a trans-hostile environment

According to data from community database Dysphorum, over the past 5 years, there’s been a 217% increase in stories about trans people. In 2022, there were 7,525 articles, the vast majority with negative framing. In January this year, in the weeks leading up to Brianna’s murder, there were 1,202 articles. That’s an average of 38 articles a day.

The 2021 census for England and Wales revealed that just 0.5% of the population have a gender identity that is different from the one they were assigned at birth. That’s a huge amount of media coverage centred on a very small percentage of the population.

Traditional newspaper titles, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Guardian, The Independent, The Spectator, The Sun, The Telegraph and The Times have all contributed with trans-hostile reporting. I feel like they have blood on their hands.

Even in reporting the death of Brianna, the media failed her.

Brianna’s friend Jade told Vice World News she felt “sick” because of the way media outlets initially reported Brianna’s death. Some used her deadname (her birth name). Others ignored the fact she was trans. And when they did, they wouldn’t use her correct pronouns.

Hate drives attention, and we advertisers are paying for that attention

In Paris Lees’ podcast, ‘The Flipside’, Professor Mary McNaughton-Cassill (the clinical psychologist who studies how the news affects our stress levels and our well-being) explains that “...the way the brain works is, we pay more attention to sensational negative things” and “we’re always wired to be scanning for danger.”

I could have gone for a more sensationalist spin on the headline for this piece. Something like ‘Is there blood in your media plan?’ to grab attention. But I chose not to. Yes, I want your attention, but I want your minds open to the evidence I'm presenting. And anger and fear are not emotions we should centre in our long term decision-making.

Sensationalist, fear-inducing headlines are commonplace among UK newspapers. I don’t need to mention the full list of their targets here, but we all know them. It’s not informing us well. It’s not healthy. And we’re all the poorer for it.

Advertisers are unknowingly funding the largest anti-trans campaign we’ve ever seen

It’s an uncomfortable truth, but it’s one we must grapple with. We’re finding ourselves funding a forever intensifying, never-ending campaign of hate against the trans community. The World Association of News Publishers assessed that over 50% of news publisher revenue comes from advertising. The ‘gender critical’ journalists are pumping out execution after execution of this hate campaign and are paid generously from our hands. This campaign is setting the news agenda and leading our whole media and politics to become infected by its poison.

It’s important for us also to consider the role of our social platforms and broadcasters in this ecosystem. They also have questions to answer. TV and Radio broadcasters are platforming ‘gender critical’ voices unchallenged - framing anti-trans narrative as ‘legitimate concerns’. Sensationalist stories act like kindling for conversation across social platforms, allowing hateful views to burn like wildfire and become reinforced in algorithmic bubbles. Hate speech is commonplace and sanctions from platforms on users are slow if forthcoming at all. This commentary then provides content to be platformed and amplified by the media vying for attention to then sell on to us advertisers. 

This anti-trans campaign is incredibly effective

It’s no surprise to us advertisers that mass communication coupled with message reinforcement works. Professor Mary McNaughton-Cassill remarks that “if something is repeated often enough, we’ll assume it’s true.”

YouGov revealed attitudes toward trans people had eroded in recent years. Now, the majority disagree that a trans woman is a woman and the majority now believe allowing trans women to use spaces reserved for women presents a genuine risk to cis women (a common argument from the anti-trans lobby is that trans women are actually predatory men.) 

And those changing attitudes inevitably lead to negative behaviours.

Last year, the government reported a 56% increase in recorded hate crime toward transgender people. 4,355 total incidents. The true figure is likely to be a lot higher according to a recent Stonewall study, revealing “81% of LGBT people who experienced a hate crime or incident didn't report it to the police.”

At the time of the release of these figures, LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, Galop, responded to this rise, “Transphobic narratives in the media, and at a senior political level, have been allowed to grow unregulated, unchecked, and unchallenged. That translates into violence against our community – particularly for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. Let us be clear – there is a direct line between words and violent acts against our community, and always has been.”

Speaking at the Conscious Advertising Network’s first conference in November last year, I posed a question: “Which hate crime is your advert funding?” This question sticks in my throat now.

The Trans+ community needs unconditional and active allyship from advertisers

Listen, I believe passionately that we need a robust press and we need to hold power to account, but as a citizen of this country and a trans person, I know our press is not informing us properly on trans lives and trans people’s issues. The opposite is true – everything is through the lens of some people’s irrational issues with trans people, not trans people’s real issues. This is a repeat of the gay moral panic that swept through the media in the 80s. The trans issues that are not getting attention are mental health, accessible trans healthcare, hate speech and, yes, physical violence.

Politicians are using the trans community to distract from their failings and manufacturing a culture war. The media are caught in a model where hate is incentivised. And trans people are being failed as a result. Brianna was failed.

Speaking with Vice World Media, another of Brianna’s trans girlfriends, Hannah, said “If Bri would have wanted anything from her passing, it would be change.”

It falls on businesses to drive that change. We are that change.

I attended the vigils for Brianna outside the Department for Education and in Soho Square, I was struck by one message I read: ‘The trans agenda is an average life expectancy.’

We need to wake up to our complicity as advertisers. Love is love, but it's money that talks.

Is there blood in your media plan? The answer is probably yes. It’s uncomfortable to read because it’s an uncomfortable truth.

Outvertising are working with organisations such as Conscious Advertising Network and Stop Funding Hate to develop practical positive steps you can take. But we also need our industry to develop solutions too. Talk to us and work with us to create change.

Let’s fix a broken ecosystem.

Let’s invest in quality, truthful and inclusive journalism.

Let’s remove hate from our media plans. 

Let’s let trans kids be trans kids – and let’s see them grow old.

Rest in Pride, Brianna.

We’re proud to announce that Marty Davies (they/them) is now our Joint CEO, working alongside Lucy McKillop (she/her). Marty joined the Outvertising board of directors in February 2021 and has been instrumental in our recent successes – playing a critical role in the delivery of our first ever in-person Outvertising Live, launching our Activism & Advocacy workstream and spearheading our efforts to counter LGBTQIA+ discrimination associated with the FIFA World Cup and the Safe To Be More conference. 

Away from Outvertising, Marty is the Co-Founder of Trans+ Adland, a grassroots community group of trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex people across the world of marketing and advertising. They are also the founder of creative consultancy Smarty Pants.

We caught up with Marty to find out their hopes for Outvertising.

Quickfire questions for Marty

Firstly, a huge congratulations on your new role. We wanted to start by asking what you hope to achieve as Joint-CEO?

Nothing big, just systemic change.

But like anything a planner says, it’s three things really:

1. Continue to cultivate an LGBTQIA+ inclusive environment for people working in industry.

2. Grow our influence within the network of agencies and among media and brand owners.

3. Get more connected to the LGBTQIA+ sector - charities and queer-owned businesses – so we can use the power of advertising to help where our community needs it most.

How would you describe Outvertising to someone who’s new?

The most wonderful bunch of kind and generous changemakers on a mission to change the world. Or at the very least make big strides toward a more LGBTQIA+ inclusive industry in the work we output and in our work environments. 

What’s the biggest challenge for the organisation?

I think of our volunteer energy as the most precious thing Lucy and I have been made caretakers of. Without it nothing would progress. The challenge is how do we nurture, grow and channel that passion in the right ways to achieve the most impact for the community. That's the forever challenge.

But once harnessed the challenge is to have this energy find ears and eyeballs of our senior industry leaders with power and influence. To convert them into our allies and partner with them to affect change.

Why should someone get involved now?

I can tell you why I’m involved right now. Outvertising has built solid foundations, developed a reputation and has momentum. We can affect change, genuinely, and that is an exciting thing to be part of. Our organisation turns four-years-old this year, we’ve learned to walk, now it’s time to run.

As a member of the trans+ community, what advice would you give to LGB allies in the industry?

The Trans+ community is under particular attack at the moment. In January this year, in the weeks leading up to Brianna Ghey’s murder, there were 1,202 articles from the big newspaper outlets. That’s an average of 38 articles a day. The majority with negative framing.

You might think you know what trans issues are but you’re likely more aware of the issues people have with trans people as this is what’s sucking up the airtime.

So I’d say, make space for trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex voices. Lean in to learning about the range of experiences, those unique to each of us and those that we share.

Use your own voices and influence to support and fight for our community. I think a member of our community Jamie June Hill said it best when they said our buckets of water are depleted. “If you've got the capacity please grab a hose, a pale, a flipping firetruck if you have one, because it'll take all of us to start pushing the blaze back.”

And the most practical piece of easy advice to take away today? Correct people using our incorrect pronouns when we’re not in the room.

Do you have any heroes? And if so, who?

I’m not sure having heroes is altogether healthy, it creates unrealistic expectations for the person being chiseled from stone. But I have people I admire and who inspire me. I do my best to magpie how they operate so I can personally affect as much change as one person can.

I admire Valentino Vecchietti. She has an indomitable force for intersex rights and visibility. Creator of the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag, I admire their determination and the change they’re inspiring through this iconic cultural symbol that’s being adopted worldwide. But I think I most admire their generosity and humility. 

And I admire Shon Faye, she wrote the The Transgender Issue in 2021. I admire her argument making and skill as a writer and persuader and ability to do so with levity.

Away from the bubble of adland, what inspires you?

I’m a bit of a theatre nerd. And very very part time music journo. So I guess art inspires me. As cringe as that reads. With friends I’ve been working on new British musical about friendship, love and survival, set in Soho across 60 years, featuring the songs of Marc Almond and Soft Cell. We managed to stage a showcase at The Vaults Theatre before the pandemic and we’re very hopefully we’ll gather some momentum with the project over the coming months.

Favourite LGBTQIA+ ad?

The work by M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment for Absolut recently. The Absolut Choir - I feel genuinely seen and empowered by that work. Olly Alexander of Years & Years worked with grassroots organisation Trans Voices choir and many other changemakers to work on a new version of the song Shine.

It’s a great example of working with the queer community and lifting up and platforming important changemakers. M&C Saatchi say of it that their intention was to “open a conversation on stage to raise the volume of causes including LGBTQIA+ rights, self-love, better disability awareness and body positivity; proving that when we mix together and raise each other’s voices, we have the power to change the world.”

But in terms of marketing and sustained positive impact for our community… ads that don’t help fund journalism and comment that’s positioning trans+ people as dangerous and a threat to society. Those are my favourite ads at the moment.

What can we all look forward to in 2023?

We’ve built real momentum and visibility in 2022. This year we’re focusing on growing our community in order to grow our influence. We kicked off 2023 with our recruitment campaign. Coinciding with the start of LGBT History Month and created by our friends at Across the Pond, the ads feature rewritten scripts and headlines for some of the world’s most well-known ads, reimagining them to be more inclusive of LGBTQIA+ audiences. Our invitation is simple, join us and help us to build this future.

We’re already thinking about our annual event Outvertising Live. In 2022 we brought our queer community and allies together - it was an event that aligned us, inspired us and galvanised our spirit. This year we want to influence more C-suite - so this year we’ll be asking you to BYOB - bring your own boss. So keep a lookout for that at the back end of the year.

Finally, what’s one thing we might not know about you?

While working as a music journalist, I once turned down the opportunity to interview Lady Gaga. ‘Just Dance’ was number 1 in the UK at the time. I wasn’t all that keen. It felt very ‘dance anthem’ and heteronormative and I pigeonholed it as a one-hit wonder. At that time Lady Gaga was very ambiguous and impenetrable as an artist - but I also didn’t do much research. So I was very wrong not to do this interview.

I still like to do bits and pieces of music journalism when I’ve got something I really want to say. I recently wrote about the transfem mirror that is Sam Smith’s Gloria era for DIVA magazine.

Coinciding with the start of LGBT History Month and created by our friends at Across the Pond, the ads feature rewritten scripts and headlines for some of the world’s most well-known ads, reimagining them to be more inclusive of LGBTQIA+ audiences.

In the words of Jim de Zoete (he/him), Executive Creative of Director at Across the Pond, the campaign seeks to “mobilise our industry to create serious change around diverse representation. There are so many of us who want to make a difference, but just don’t know how to have a real impact. Joining the Outvertising community is a great start. And what's thrilling, and we hope this shows in the executions, is that this change is in your hands. Just by adapting a few words you can suddenly make the work, and the world, more inclusive.”

Our campaign calls on LGBTQIA+ ad professionals and allies to join the Outvertising community and will be visible on billboard sites in cities up and down the country, including London, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield, Coventry and Hull. Thanks to OPEN Media, DOOH.com and Clear Channel for their support. Look out for further amplification will come from digital and social ads amplified by agency ERGS throughout LGBT History Month. 

Most importantly, to join our community, head to https://www.outvertising.org/slack.