In a New York subway station last week, an ad featuring Sikh actor and designer Waris Ahluwahlia had the words “make love” replaced with “make bombs” and the worlds “Please stop driving TAXIS” scribbled underneath it. After pictures of the graffiti went viral, Gap replaced the subway ad, to the appreciation of the Sikh and Muslim communities.
On Nov. 26, Jen Trudell, an attorney with Goldberg Kohn, spotted a Gap ad on her way to work on the Jackson Street pedway. The ad featured Harrison Ford’s son and Dough Rollers musician Malcolm Ford alongside photographer Maxwell Snow that had been covered with anti-gay slurs. The words “Sissy Die” had been penciled across the faces of both men and “Faggot Suck Dick and Die Fag Bitches” scrawled along side. Snow married his wife Vanessa Traina in 2012 and Ford was last rumored to be dating Canadian model Jessica Stam. Neither man is gay.
Trudell, who is lesbian and married with three children, said the ad disgusted her. “It felt like a punch to the gut,” Trudell said. “It made me feel unsafe and it made me very angry.” After seeing that the ad had not been removed the next day, a livid Trudell contacted Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office. She tweeted a picture of the ad and also received a response from Gap that they were “looking into it.” Meanwhile, Trudell was quickly contacted by the Graffiti Task Force and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) removed the advertisement.
CTA released a statement saying, “The CTA is committed to provide the best experience possible to customers. The agency actively inspects rail stations, trains and buses to remove any kind of graffiti and repair vandalism. CTA staff will immediately remove any hateful messages or graphic images when they are noticed by staff or reported by customers.”
Kari Shellhorn, from Gap Inc.’s global corporate communications office, reiterated to Windy City Times that the company is looking into the issue. She added, in a general statement, “Gap’s marketing campaign is about inspiring people to fill the world with love this holiday season. It features a range of cultural icons, including actors, singers and artistic collaborators, chosen for the ways they are spreading and creating love in the world. Gap is a brand that celebrates inclusion and diversity. Our customers and employees are of many different ethnicities, faiths and lifestyles, and we support them all.”