Adidas Pride campaign by gay woman champions LGBT people of colour
From the Adidas Pride Love Unites campaign. (Gia Goodrich)
A gay woman of colour is behind Adidas’ 2019 Pride campaign.
Gia Goodrich, an American director and photographer, believes that inclusive imagery is the key to LGBT+ advocacy.
“I believe in the adage, ‘Nothing about us without us,'” Goodrich told PinkNews. “It’s important to work with creators who are a part of the communities they’re representing.”
Adidas’ 2019 Pride Pack features rainbow-themed footwear, from trainers to slides.
“Our industry is dominated by white, cis, hetero dudes telling the stories, our stories,” Goodrich said.
“The fact that Adidas made a conscious effort to hire someone who is a part of and vocal advocate for the LGBTQAI+ community is impactful.”
“Giving creators like myself the agency to tell our own stories is powerful and how it should be done. I hope other brands pay attention and follow suit,” she said.
Taylor Smith, a professional football player, in the Adidas campaign. (Gia Goodrich)
Goodrich is also the creator, along with her partner, of the “Cis dykes for trans rights” T-shirts.
“My partner and I made them last year for the trans march,” she said. “We’re both cis and think it’s really important, especially as lesbians, to be vocal about doing everything we can to support the trans/non-binary community.”
Goodrich and her partner created these T-shirts for the trans march. (Gia Goodrich)
All of the models in Adidas’ Pride shoot are LGBT+ influencers, a fact that was Important to Goodrich, who believes that brands need to improve representation by telling the stories of the people in the campaigns.
“I believe they [brands] should commit to representation in an intersectional way across ability, age, gender, ethnicity, experience etc. Both in front of the camera and behind the scenes,” she said.
Ace Troy, artist, in the Adidas Love Unites shoot. (Gia Goodrich)
“It’s so easy to cast in a way that excludes beautiful and important members of the LGBTQAI2S+ rainbow. That level of commitment is scary for brands because the industry is still very much about a narrowly-defined idea of beauty,” Goodrich said.
“But that is where we are headed if I can have any say in the matter, a world where every identity is visible, validated and celebrated. It’s so important to create spaces for queer representation, but then also to give them the microphone.”
The LGBT+ people in the campaign are: Venus X, The Last Artful Dodger, Flawless Shade, Ace Troy, Taylor Smith and Brandon Harris.
