Rainbow Eclipses the Smiles of Kids of LGBTQ+ Parents

“It’s not all rainbows for kids of LGBT parents.” This is how Equality for Children NGO begins its plea. Founded by a group of LGBTQ+ parents with the goal to fight for equality for their kids, the organization continues its mission to advocate for these children and their families with a new campaign for which it teamed up with independent creative agency The Public House.

The striking initiative consists of digital outdoor and social and is aimed at tackling inequality amongst LGBTQ+ families. Using the symbol that gave birth to the community’s flag, the rainbow — which artist Gilbert Baker saw as a natural flag from the sky — the initiative features storybook-style illustrations of kids who look upset because of a rainbow that eclipses their smiles.

According to the NGO, there is a misconception that, with marriage equality, equality has been achieved. Yet, there’s a need for the legislation to change so that LGBTQ+ family units be recognized for what they are — families — and thus, for both parents to be given equal rights. The Dublin-based agency’s campaign is contoured with the goal to educate 62% of the Irish population who voted “YES” for marriage equality that true equality hasn’t been achieved yet.

Ranae von Meding, Co-Founder and CEO at Equality for Children, said about the campaign: “As it stands currently, in the vast majority of LGBT+ families, only one parent can be a legal parent. It’s not equal and it’s not what we voted for 6 years ago. We are so grateful to the team at Public House for working on this striking campaign with us. Our hope is that the ‘crying rainbow’ imagery spurs people on to take action and get involved in our campaign for equality of all children.”

Dillon McKenna, Creative Director, The Public House, added: “We wanted a campaign that would make people feel for these kids — who through no fault of their own, or their parents, are effectively second-class citizens. The ‘rainbow sad face’ is such a visual contradiction that it almost requires a double-take. We collaborated with the amazing Katya Swan, who created a series of beautiful illustrations for us.”

In Ireland, most of the kids coming from LGBTQ+ families are prevented from having a legal relationship with both of their parents. The NGO took shape to fight for these children’s equality, advocating for these families with the aim to encourage the public to get involved and help change things for the better.