Donald Trump won the US election popular vote and the electoral college in early November. A week later I unexpectedly lost someone I love very much. Grief has consumed me completely.
This is the first piece I’ve written since. I’ve been struggling to know what to say and how to say it. So, I decided to just be honest and write something that reflects where the world seems to be: a state of crisis and metamorphosis.
I strive to illuminate the issues in the creative industries that matter to queer people. I try to provide expert analysis and inspire considered action among readers.
I’m a strategist, a systems thinker, an advocate and a campaigner. My vision for the column has been to use 北京赛车pk10 – the industry’s shop window – to shine a light on the wrongs and inspire positive change. As a queer and trans person, this industry has often not been safe for me to exist in. Terrible personal experiences in adland activated my advocacy. I want better for our future talent.
The theory of change behind this column is this: an industry full of vain and performative players concerned about their own image and reputation might be inspired into positive action when their action – or inaction – might be spotlighted.
And if this column can inspire a disruption to the flow of ad money to "dirty attention" in the legacy media and the big social platforms like X and Meta, then it can have an immeasurable impact on queer lives everywhere. It can have an immeasurable impact on all our lives, because it will push people to do better. Love might be love, but money does the talking.
Historically, our queer community in this industry has often felt squeezed into performative Pride Month activity while our Trans+ siblings have felt invisible entirely. As the former joint chief executive of Outvertising and the first transgender columnist for 北京赛车pk10 I’ve felt a pressure and duty to move us beyond this with this platform. To a more empowered state. I wanted this column to be part of changing that.
I do cherish the small moments of progress, the one step forward even as we’re dragged two or three back. A recent one being that I worked with 北京赛车pk10’s team to ensure the School Reports this year ask two new questions with the aim to bar-raise inclusion efforts for Trans+ colleagues. “Do you have a transitioning at work policy?” and “Does your company’s healthcare insurance policy include transitioning?”
But I need to be honest here. Right now, it feels like we've taken 100 steps back. Such is the shift. Even the performative allyship is falling away.
In 2023, with Outvertising, I led a project to gain commitment from the top 10 media agencies to divest from media that spreads hate, disinformation and violence. A huge commitment for a bunch of queer volunteers to have secured. Eighteen months on, the worst legacy media offenders remain well funded and Meta’s regressive changes to its "hateful conduct" policy now allow for a trans non-binary person like myself to be referred to as “it” and be called “mentally ill” without sanction.
Media agencies: EssenceMediacom UK, OMD EMEA, Wavemaker, Mindshare, Zenith UK, PHD, Starcom, Carat, the7stars, Spark Foundry all made this commitment. But will we ever see substantial action follow words? Or did they just want their name attached to a rainbow flag back in Pride month?i
The ad money they are responsible for advising on funds Meta. Will we see divestment from Meta for now allowing this hateful misinformation? At the IPA President’s Reception earlier this month, I attended a gathering of our industry’s leaders, where we were reminded that advertising is “a driving force behind the global economy, shaping industries and societies”. There was not a single mention of Meta from the President with a “people first” agenda. We have our heads in the sand. The IPA President talked of advertising worldwide surpassing “$1tn in revenue” and that our industry is “stronger together” – but what good is this economic power and this strength when it fails to be wielded to protect vulnerable communities? What good are our industry bodies if they don’t work to facilitate collective action?
In June last year our industry chose to headline Elon Musk on the Cannes stage in what was a servile, fluffy interview. At Trump’s inauguration this month, Elon Musk, standing at the president’s podium, appeared to give a Nazi salute, twice. This is the same Elon Musk who supports the AFD – Germany’s far-right party. And the same Elon Musk who is reportedly bankrolling the legal fund of far-right "Tommy Robinson".
I am tired. My colleagues are tired. My friends are tired.
I’ve fallen out of love with this industry. How can you love an industry consistently failing you? Led by those without moral vision and the bravery to lead.
I re-read Dorothy Parker’s famous essay "Who goes Nazi?" first published in Harper’s Magazine in August 1941. And it’s got me asking the same question now in 2025. We need to wake up. Fascism has been knocking at the door for years but it’s now in the White House. This is not abstract discourse. I have Trans+ friends in the States fleeing their homes. I have Trans+ friends in the UK afraid to be out at work.
We can’t do the work for you. Queer people need allyship now more than ever. So, I’ll leave you with three questions weighing on me.
When the US has been captured by an increasingly sinister "broligarchy", is it foolish of me to think that advertising will refuse to bend the knee and bootlick?
Will Cannes 2025 be a spectacle of appeasement and capitulation to the tech bros?
Is our industry’s allyship so performative and bankrupt that it will abandon queer people at a dangerous moment?
Happy new year.
In loving memory of Rachel.
Marty Davies (she/they) is a cultural strategist, activist and writer. She founded creative strategy consultancy which helps brands to connect meaningfully with queer culture. She also founded CIC and co-founded community group Trans+ Adland, which both support the Trans+ community to thrive in the creative industries. In 2024 her column was shortlisted for PPA Columnist of the Year.
i Carat, OMD EMEA, and PHD did not reply to 北京赛车pk10's request for comment. WPP/GroupM and Publicis Groupe media agencies declined to comment.
Jenny Biggam, founder of the7stars, said: "Since signing the pledge, we have launched our Inclusive Planning Framework to ensure that Diversity and Inclusion are not just an organisational practice but a fundamental consideration in communications planning. This framework prioritises planning that reflects the diversity of our audiences across insights, targeting, ideas, and measurement. A proactive approach to inclusivity is not just the right thing to do but the smart thing to do. The ‘Feeling Seen’ report from ITV, System1, and diversity media specialists DECA, highlights the benefits of inclusion for brand growth. Put simply, when people feel seen, they feel good, and ads that make people feel good drive brand growth. After committing to the pledge, we have also introduced other initiatives, including agency education sessions with organisations such as Global Butterflies. Additionally, through our Foundation, we have supported Switchboard, the national LGBTQIA+ support line, and Mermaids, a British charity and advocacy organisation supporting trans, non-binary and gender-diverse young people and their families."