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Following the launch of the Love Soap, printed with #GayIsOK, Lush customers and All Out members took to social media to post selfies with their personal messages about why they support equality.
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Around 80 Lush shops around the world were unable to participate due to anti-gay legislation. Still, over 100,000 soaps were sold – raising £275,000 in profits for a ‘Love Fund’. The money will be distributed as grants to grassroots groups fighting for rights, equality and acceptance around the world.
‘A little sparkly soap goes a long way. Thousands of Lush customers, All Out members, VIPs and allies of the LGBT community told the world that #GayIsOK and made this an epic campaign!
‘By purchasing the Love Soap they have given us their trust (and their money) to fund grassroots charities and continue to support LGBT rights as human rights, especially where life is not all glitter.”
Alessandro Commisso, Lush
LGBT equality work, especially in the places where it is most needed, is massively underfunded. It’s hoped the ‘Love Fund’ will attract applications from groups working in areas where anti-LGBT laws are harsh and extreme and where funding is in short supply.
It’s reaching out to any groups who are trying to bring the focus of society, governments and legislators onto this topic.
£50,000 will be donated outright to All Out for its worldwide campaigning efforts. The rest will go into a fund where LGBT groups can apply for grants of up to £10,000 that will be distributed later this year.
A ‘Love Fund’ Panel is currently being assembled to look at all the applications from LGBT groups and allocate grants.
‘Time and again we’ve seen how, with enough resources, activists do incredible work to change laws and shift hearts and minds towards full equality. Too often, activists are isolated and underfunded, but the #GayIsOK campaign has brought a massive new audience to their work and also crucial funds to help them succeed.’
Andre Banks, Executive Director and co-founder of All Out
The timing of the #GayIsOK campaign from All Out and Lush coincided with the historic 1969 Stonewall riots in NYC, which marked the start of the LGBT Rights movement. In 75 countries it’s still a crime to be gay.
In just a few days, as a direct result of the campaign, over 30 million people were reached globally with messages of love and equality.
An additional 40 million more adopted the hashtag after the US Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality came down 24 hours after the campaign launch.
Click here for information about how LGBT groups can apply for grants (deadline 31st October 2015).
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