WTF New Zealand

This is the launch video (language NSFW) for WTF New Zealand, a campaign “for everybody who cares about equality”. It’s partly a call for action, partly a call for support to two vital organisations, Rainbow Youth and OUTline.

To me, the video is kind of like a combination of videos from Cyndi Lauper’s “Give A Damn” and the hugely more in-your-face videos from “FCKH8”. That’s not surprising because jump-cuts and having different people deliver parts of the same sentence have been used by a lot of groups for a simple reason: They work—and so does the unapologetic use of “naughty” words.

The point of the WTF campaign is (http://wtf.org.nz/about) “about standing up, not taking no for an answer and demanding change”:

Nothing like this has ever been attempted in New Zealand, nor has any one campaign rallied as many of our country’s top faces under its banner and the support from so many well-known kiwis has encouraged us to speak up even louder for those being discriminated against. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, so it’s time we ask New Zealand "WTF?”

I applaud this effort and hope it succeeds, because it’s been needed. With the National Party in power, GLBTI New Zealanders need a campaign fighting for them. When the Labour and Green parties form the new government, they’ll need to have their feet held to the fire, so this sort of campaign will still be needed. I’m glad to see it get started.