Verizon partners with PFLAG to help unite families as part of its Pride efforts
Verizon is partnering with PFLAG, the nation’s largest organization uniting families and allies with people who are LGBTQ, for a campaign that shows stories of real families that have been torn apart and reunited through better communication and understanding.
Tashan Lovemore for Verizon's Love Calls Back campaign
PFLAG and Verizon enlisted director and LGBTQ supporter Lee Hirsch for a campaign that showcases how a bad first call doesn’t have to be the last. They connected real people and their families and gave them a second chance for loved ones to express their support.
In the film ‘Love Calls Back,’ LGBTQ people tell their stories of how their families either didn’t understand their orientations or how they reacted poorly to learning their brothers, sisters, sons and daughters were LGBTQ. The touching stories show very real calls of those family members who reacted badly call their estranged family and had heart-to-heart talks with them, proving that love can ‘call back’ and help heal old wounds.
One of the participants is Tashan Lovemore. He grew up in a religious, Jamaican-American family who was not very supportive of alternate lifestyles. He came out as bisexual when he was younger and his family didn’t support him right away. When he came out as trans, his family mostly accepted him – except for his brother Estebon.
‘Love Calls Back’ shows the tearful call between the two and how Estebon apologizes and says how he will always be there for Tashan. Lovemore is now an outreach worker for the LGBTQ community in New York.
Verizon will also be making a monetary donation to PFLAG, as it did last year, when it donated $250,000.
The film is part of Verizon’s Pride efforts, and a continuation of the brand’s marketing pivot to telling real stories of communication with real people.
“In reality, not all of these life-changing calls go as planned. Partnering with PFLAG National, we found families who wanted another opportunity to have this conversation with their loved ones and the powerful outcomes that it resulted in. At Verizon, we believe we are strongest when we are all connected,” said Andrew McKechnie, chief creative officer at Verizon.
The brand is also the title sponsor of LA Pride, and it will have a presence at local Pride parades across the country. On the evening of that event, Verizon Media will host the US premiere of its documentary 5B, which showcases the inspirational story of everyday heroes who took extraordinary action to comfort, protect and care for the patients of the first HIV/AIDS ward unit in the United States at San Francisco General Hospital.
Verizon Media brands HuffPost and RYOT will feature a large, colorful and interactive LED step and repeat photo op, which is inspired by the pride and strength to break the molds of the LGBTQ community through the art of dance.
In addition, as part of the PFLAG partnership, Verizon connected its company’s LGBTQ employee resource group, Globe, to volunteer opportunities through chapters, as opportunities arise. Verizon stated that the company is rated highly by the Human Rights Campaign, due to efforts such as last year’s Pride campaign.
See Verizon's 2019 Pride efforts by clicking on the Creative Works box below.
