Oil company apologises for using lesbians to attack Saudi Arabia
A Canadian oil company has apologised for an ad that was deemed derogatory to women and lesbians.
Canada Oil Sands Community published a poster online, attacking Saudi Arabia for using oil revenues to persecute LGBT people and women.
However, the posters which read “In Canada lesbians are considered hot! In Saudi Arabia, if you’re a lesbian you die!”, were quickly withdrawn after they received criticism from people saying it objectified women and lesbians.
In one comment, Jessa Evenden wrote on the group’s Facebook page expressing her disgust.
She said: “That poster was disgusting, fetishising queer women and reducing the existence of lesbians to something for men’s pleasure – for something for men to find ‘hot’.”
Other suggested that there were better ways for the company to get the message across.
The group replaced the images with one showing two men being hanged with the tagline, “did you know it’s illegal to be gay in Saudi Arabia? If you get caught being gay, you die. Why is Canada importing oil from places like this when we have our own?”
In his apology, the founder of Canada Oil Sands Community, Robbie Picard, said he didn’t mean to offend anyone.
“As a gay male, I apologise for the poster I posted,” he said. “It was not my intent to demean [sic] women or any people of any sexual orientation.
“It was rather to highlight injustice done by other countries we are purchasing our oil from.
“I certainly don’t want to divide our community I believe in equality and human rights.”
