As a supporter and advocate for gay rights since its inception in 1953, Playboy debuted their “PRIDE IS GOOD” campaign in collaboration with The Trevor Project’s fight against conversion therapy in June 2019. This effort drives awareness for the Trevor Project’s “50 Bills 50 States” initiative, the world’s largest effort working to protect young members of the LGBTQ community from conversion therapy.
The campaign honors the progress made since Playboy first advocated for equal rights five decades ago, and recognizes what still needs to be done to secure equality for all. The focal point is a collection of reimagined Playboy Bunny Ears from seven queer artists. These curated pieces represent Playboy’s “call-to-ears”, a physical manifestation of Playboy’s commitment to Pride and ongoing support of the LGBTQ community. As the first-ever official collection of Bunny ears sold by Playboy, the collection comprises a limited run of 500 pairs per design. To inspire the artists, Playboy asked each of them “What does Pride mean to you?”.
These pieces, along with t-shirts featuring their designs, can be bought on Playboyshop.com and were available for purchase during a pop-up experience at WorldPride in New York City. All proceeds benefit The Trevor Project.
In addition, Playboy collaborated with Moschino on a Pride capsule collection, with 100% of Playboy’s net proceeds going to The Trevor Project. PLAYBOY magazine dedicated part of its coverage in their summer “Sexuality and Gender” issue to conversion therapy survivors and activists.
Playboy recognized that it could use its platform as both a media entity and a brand to reach a wide audience and advocate against conversion therapy. They enlisted famed photographer, Ryan Pfluger, to shoot a heartwarming feature that was release in their quarterly magazine, timed to Playboy’s Playhouse experiential activation in New York City. Worldwide Pride speaker, Geena Rocero, a leader and advocate in the trans community, was named Playmate of the Month for August and moderated a panel with Ryan that touched upon the specialness of the PRIDE IS GOOD campaign.
As a result of their efforts to not only raise money, but also provide visibility and a platform for the fight against conversion therapy, Playboy donated money to fight conversion therapy to The Trevor Project. Their social campaign reached an audience of over 12.6 million users and they were able to loudly and proudly proclaim their commitment to supporting The Trevor Project in ending conversion therapy, thereby increasing awareness for this initiative.
