Viacom marks Coming Out Day with celebrity accounts
Giant media brand Viacom has decided to mark Coming Out Day on October 11 with a first ever, global on-air and digital campaign called “Out in 60.”
To ensure their campaign is heard, the media conglomerate partnered up with celebrities like RuPaul, Leona Lewis, andCharlie Carver, to relay their message.
Viacom & Out in 60
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) will be raising awareness for LGBT challenges and promoting inclusion acceptance via their “Out in 60” global campaign for Coming Out Day on October 11.
To this end, they recruited 50 international stars to participate, including musicians, comedians, athletes, and influencers to share their coming out stories in 60-second spots,
These can be seen on linear, digital, and social media around the world. They’ll also be using their channels: MTV, VH1, Logo, BET, Channel 5, and Comedy Central.
“We’re thrilled to have a number of well-known personalities on board to inspire and offer a personal connection to those looking to find out more about coming out and the community,” said Georgia Arnold, Senior Vice President for Viacom International Social Responsibility.
“We know that the process of coming out can be challenging for some, and so we created ‘Out in 60’ to honor the LGBT community and give everyone a platform to share their experience,” Arnold said
#Outin60 & the Public
Viewers can also join the campaign by submitting their own 60-second coming out stories on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using #OUTIN60.
Those videos collected will be featured in their special website page.
The media conglomerate owns the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands like MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, Channel 5 (UK), VH1, VIVA, COLORS, SPike, Game One, and Tr3s.
Their brands like MTV and Música y Más reach more than 3.7 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 180 countries and territories.
Likewise they operate through more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties, in 40 languages.
Viacom & the LGBT
The media giant has been supportive of the LGBT community with an internal culture that supports LGBT employees.
Their Global Business Practices Statement states that sexual orientation won’t have any bearing on any employment decision.
“We embrace global diversity in all its forms and strive to maintain an inclusive environment and a culture that values all perspectives and backgrounds,” reads a part of their statement.
They also have Emerge, a resource group for LGBT employees.
Recently, Viacom joined 75 other companies and Lambda Legal to petition the US Supreme Court to review a decision by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals that none of the LGBT are protected from discrimination under federal law.
The companies urged the US high court to affirm that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers LGBT employees under its Title VII protections against sex discrimination.