#LforLove

Background

SITUATION: In a country like India, where patriarchy is deeply entrenched, being a woman is not easy. Being openly lesbian, is almost impossible. What’s even worse is that for decades, porn has over-sexualized the perception of what lesbian relationships stand for. It is hardly surprising what a Google image search for lesbian shows up - smooching, petting, kissing… Moreover, social stigma has resulted in little to no representation of lesbians. Members of the community are not accepted for who they are, and relationships are often looked down upon. Love Matters (India) - a platform fighting for sexual rights and gender equality, sought to address this. BRIEF: To tackle homophobia against lesbians and lesbian relationships. OBJECTIVES: • Normalise lesbian relationships and create positive narratives that help build understanding and acceptance of lesbians and their relationships. • Give visibility to lesbians, who have practically no representation even within India's LGBTQ+

community.

Idea

A Twitter profile was created of an out-and-proud lesbian (@AditiMPride). She opened up about herself on Sarahah, a platform that allows anonymous interactions. Within minutes, she was bombarded with sexual questions and homophobia, like… ‘How do you do it?’ ‘You are cheap and dirty!’ ‘Can I join you two? ; While these questions were predictable, it was her responses that caught the world’s attention. Of the hundreds of offensive questions, homophobic comments and hateful statements, the thirty most common ones were addressed in real-time with uncanny wit and heart-warming pictures. Each breaking the stereotype of who a lesbian is. All of them were shot by a renowned photographer who was herself is a proud lesbian. Besides social media, the pictures were also showcased on www.LforLove.in, the campaign’s official website.

Results

In less than an hour, lesbian relationships were a national trending conversation. Positive sentiment for the lesbian community saw a rise of 83% compared to 14% before the campaign. Negative sentiment dropped from 86% to 17%. #LforLove attracted worldwide attention, from 51 countries. Business Impact: • Love Matters has received requests from Donors and LGBTQ organizations in 19 countries to replicate the campaign. • Several image libraries, including Getty - the world’s go-to site for stock imagery, are in the process of including the pictures as part of their offering. Long-term Impact: • Searches for lesbian marriages in India increased by 1450% following the campaign (Source: Google Trends®) • Within weeks of the groundswell #LforLove created, India’s Supreme Court admitted pleas to repeal Section 377, a 160 year old law criminalising homosexuality.