C4EM: An Acronym You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

C4EM

Contrary to what a lot of people outside the United Kingdom think, same-sex marriage isn’t actually legal in the U.K. Instead they have civil partnerships, which grant all the same rights as marriage, except for the label. There is a home office consultation underway asking the population its opinion on civil same-sex marriage. Pretty much the U.K. is considering changing its policy regarding same-sex marriage and so it’s conducting a poll, sort of.

The anti-same-sex marriage campaign has come under some fire recently regarding its tactics, and rightly so. As the article I linked to indicates, the Catholic Church was actually circulating a political petition to students as young as 11-years-old. At the very least it is irresponsible, and perhaps even illegal. The petition that was circulated was started by a group called the Coalition for Marriage (C4M). According to the Daily Mail, C4M is a “grassroots organisation,” though in reality it has backing from a number of political and religious leaders. Grassroots isn’t really the proper term, I don’t think.

In response to the “grassroots” C4M, two young men set up a spoof website for the C4EM (Coalition for Equal Marriage). It wasn’t a real coalition; it was just two crazy kids in love, frustrated that their country still wouldn’t let them get married. Much to their surprise, C4EM has gone viral and has turned into something of an actual grassroots organisation. They’ve got a bit of financial backing now, and so they put out an advertisement on Youtube. It comes complete with swelling music and a sappy ending, and I love it. It’s exactly the sort of pro-same-sex marriage advertisement I wish the U.S. used more often. As much as the advertisements that focus on the facts of same-sex marriage are informative, they often lack the emotional resonance that the C4EM advert has.

So, get to it NOH8. Make an advert with sappy, sappy lurve. Actually, make more than one; let’s have an entire ad campaign that highlights the emotional impact same-sex marriage would have on lgbt individuals. Just, when you do this NOH8, try making it a little less white-washed, and if you could include a lesbian or two that’d be great.