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Updated Wednesday, 2:15 p.m. PST
On Tuesday, the MSG Network said it would take down all posters associated with its recent advertising campaign that some are arguing is homophobic, based on the implication that Broadway actors aren't "real men."
The particular ad that sparked the uproar reads, "It's Friday night. You can either see a Broadway harness malfunctioning or you can watch real men fly."
More after the jump.
According to ESPN.com, MSG Network "confirms that that ad, as well as what is believed to be at least three other similar type ads, would be completely removed from all its locations."
The company's representative acknowledged "bad judgment" in creating the ad and apologized to anyone who was offended.
As ESPN explains, "the ad was referring to the Broadway show 'Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark,' in which actors have been injured, including Christopher Tierney, who fell 30 feet from the air into the orchestra pit in December 2010. Tierney, who sustained four broken ribs and fractured three of his vertebrae, returned to the show four months later."
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Original Post
A new ad from Madison Square Garden Networks is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the LGBT and our allies who are forced to digest it while walking around New York. The ad, which insinuates that Broadway actors are not "real men" while athletes are, has left New York gays and sports fans (and gay sports fans) debating its place in 2012.
Forget the fact that jokes about the Spiderman production (referenced in the ad) are soooo 2010; I'd love to see the "real men" of MSG Network's outdated imagination don tights, harness up and swing above a crowd in one of the most dangerous situations to hit Broadway since Hugh Jackman's one man show caused mini riots in Hell's Kitchen.
No really, I'd love to see that.
In a year that has marked considerable and unprecedented progress in the war against homophobia in sports (Chris Kluwe, for starters), this ad is—if not completely offensive—lazy and not funny.
But who cares what I think!
What do you think, Instincters? Is this new ad from MSG Networks homophobic?
(Source: Talk About Equality; Image: Richard Roland)
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