A German ad from 2006 featuring two
male soccer players sharing a kiss went viral on Monday.
In the ad, two male soccer players are
seen sharing a post-game smooch under the headline: “Would you also
beat up your favorite player for this?”
Gay rights advocate Maneo
produced the ad in 2006 as Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup, gay
sports blog Outsports.com
reported.
Outsports' Jim Buzinski wrote: “With
Euro 2012 dominating the soccer world for the month, and against the
backdrop of gays being warned against being open in Ukraine, one of
the host countries, we find a poster from a German group that asks
fans to consider homophobia.”
“I first saw this on Facebook and it
has 1,700 likes and 500 shares, so it is having an impact,” he
added.
According to its website, the
Berlin-based Maneo was established in 1990 and is “the most
experienced and best known gay anti-violence project in Germany.”
Maneo added that the poster was well
received and that the campaign was supported by Berlin Mayor Klaus
Wowereit, who is openly gay.