The History of LGBTQ+ TV Commercials, presented by Sean Carnage & Museum Of Home Video

In my “other life” away from rock ‘n roll—my day job life—I’ve been a Cannes Gold Lion award-winning producer in the advertising and branding world for almost 20 years now. I love what I do. I’m proud of how I turned music and concert experience into a mainstream production career. It’s a thrill to go to work every day. I love being part of the team, making eye-popping shiny new promotional thingeys for our clients.

See my latest, greatest production here

That said, when I was immersed in the crassest parts of the ad industry for most of the 2010s, it wasn’t always easy for this out gay dude.

I felt lost in a sea of bros sometimes—privileged guys who pay lip service to diversity… but that’s about it. I’ve watched many times as the (highly paid) circle of bros pitched homophobic/misogynistic concepts that made me wanna puke. I’ve also seen some pretty uplifting pitches become reality, which is cool.

The unevenness of the experience can make one a little seasick. LGBTQ+ representation in advertising is such a mixed bag—it’s way overdue for a deep dive.

Sean Carnage Bret Berg Museum Of Home Video History of Gay Lesbian Bisexual Trans Nonbinary LGBTQ+ television TV commercials ads advertising

Out ad pioneer Greg Louganis made it to the Olympics, but had trouble climbing the ladder of mainstream marketing.

Now, thanks to cultural curator Bret Berg and the Museum Of Home Video we’re taking that dive—just like gay ’80s/’90s pitchman Greg Louganis!

This Tuesday, March 19th, from 7:30-8:30pm PT, Bret and I will be hosting the History of LGBTQ+ Commercials on the Museum Of Home Video channel

Watch the trailer:

Last summer, Bret downloaded something like a terabyte of historic LGBTQ+ ads. And then he and I spent a couple months watching nearly all of them—so you don’t have to!

We’ve distilled things down into a manageable history that traces the highs, lows, breakthrough and set backs in less than one hour. Where we’ve traveled as a community will no doubt surprise you.

Here’s a preview:

Hollywood Square & early LGBTQ+, Paul Lynde, brings the pitch AND the bitch.

Grunge-era lesbian icon, Jenny Shimizu, broke through early.

Trans representation has had a problematic advertising history, as you might expect. But there have been some truly beautiful portrayals as far back as the late 1980’s.

The late Judy Tenuta called them “Abercrombie & Fist” & it’s true—crypto homo imagery turns on the masses.

But what if the imagery is more down to earth? Subaru has been a pioneer of gay & lesbian “realness.”

Every action has an exqual ad opposite reaction, hence the “no homo bro” gay panic ads of the Y2K era…

…even CGI M&M’s (and Shrek!) could be homophobic for laughs. Yeah, fuck you very much.

Sometimes the “no” was just “homo” tho.

IKEA was another early leader with their “Dining Room” spot—the very first earnest gay ad (producd by Deutsch) in 1994.

Just as with straight ads, pretty faces make the sell easier…

…ripped physiques do too!

We found that while the subjects of gay ads were eminently relatable…

…they have been used in the crassest ways by yucky companies.

Of course, gay and pay can come together just right, as with Sir Elton John and Lil Nas X.

We’ve definitely included Dylan Mulvaney’s innocuous ad that brought down Bud Light last year. Why did this harmless, easy-going spot piss off so many people? We’ll talk more about this one on the broadcast.