Manila, Philippines – To commemorate Pride Month this June, creative agency Dentsu in the Philippines has launched TheUnlimitedLoveLanguage.com – a website that aims to teach people how to appropriately converse and speak with people from the LGBTQIA+ community – one with respect and sensitivity.
We’ve come so far in terms of where the society stands towards the LGBTQIA+ community, with different platforms adapting their views and stands to become a more inclusive community. We have been seeing governments declaring the first-ever LGBTQIA+ officials, and also bills being passed for the greater good and welfare of the community.
In terms of the baseline on the other hand – the everyday conversations and dealings we have with people from the community – there is still so much to learn and be more of. Companies and even common individuals have taken it upon themselves to practice the appropriate use of pronouns in accordance with a person’s identified gender – but there is so much more to it. On Twitter, we hear normal people and celebrities alike still share incidents of microaggressions, and this is what dentsu Philippines aims to solve.
‘The Unlimited Love Language’ website presents a list of various hyperspecific statements often heard among people when conversing with those that identify as LGBTQIA+. Examples are “I support lesbians. But why do you look like a normal girl?” or some Tagalog statements like “May boyfriend ka? Respect, pare. But I have to say ‘di ko akalain. ‘Di ka naman mukhang bakla!” which in English, translates to “You have a boyfriend? Kudos, bro. I have to say it doesn’t look like it. You don’t look gay!”.
When visitors click on each statement, they will be directed to an expanded explanation of why such is a microaggression and provides insight on how it ought to make an LGBTQIA+ individual feel and what can be said instead if one wants to send across their ‘unlimited love’.
In addition, the website also provides free Zoom or video call backgrounds for people to further show their support to the community.
Dentsu Philippines’ Connections Strategy and Research Lead Roki Ferrer shared that about 48% of LGBTQIA+ people experience some form of discrimination within the family.
“People think that not being bluntly homophobic makes them supportive. But tolerance is not acceptance. That’s why we need to condition people’s minds towards unconditional acceptance by heart,” said Ferrer.
Meanwhile, JC Catibog, the country CEO at Dentsu Philippines, commented that they believe that true acceptance is only possible when there’s empathy, that is why showing how LGBTQIA+ people feel, and having a two-way conversation is so important.
“As our own Dentsu Consumer Vision 2030 trends show, sexuality and gender will soon be less determined by birth. Hence, if we aren’t already, we need to start learning how to love unlimitedly,” said Catibog.
The website is now live and provides an option as well for people to be ‘teachers’ of the love language.
