Getting under your skin

If you are willing to defend your friends from homophobic slurs, why does racism not elicit the same response?

This is the question posed by ACON’s latest social campaign Would you wear it? as the health organisation broadens its scope of concern, to take on the subject matter of racism in the GLBT community.

Featuring images of GLBT community members from various ethnic backgrounds, alongside slogans that read Asians are all the same or Aboriginals are all the same, ACON is raising awareness and encouraging people to stand up for their beliefs in equality by tackling racism with the same fervour as homophobia.

ACON Aboriginal Project Team Leader, Michelle Sparks said racism in the community needed to be challenged.

There are many people who are not racist but who turn a blind eye and allow racist behaviour to go unchallenged, she said.

Basically we’re asking people to stand up for something they believe in. This is the principle behind Would You Wear it?

The campaign’s aim is to encourage people to come forward and report their experiences and sightings of racist attacks. These reports will be used by ACON to further develop their strategies for combating racism.

Asian Project officer, John Wang said the campaign was about promoting understanding.

We’re not trying to be the racism police and we’re not asking people to dob in their family or friends. What we are trying to do is create a database of social research that will continue to inform our anti-racism work and allow us to improve our response to the issue, he said.

To report your experiences and sightings of racist attacks, phone 1800 063 060, head to www.acon.org.au/racism to make an online report or speak to an ACON staff member.