On the third of May, the HRC website made the announcement that Marc Jacobs has designed a shirt showing support for the Human Rights Campaign which includes two lesbian mothers, their daughter, and a slogan saying "I pay my taxes, I want my RIGHTS!" to be sold in his stores. The shirt also exclaims Marc Jacobs' support for the HRC.
I like that this happened for a multitude of reasons. Obviously, there is the fact that donning this shirt is an automatic billboard for gay rights. I think that any chance one has to scream their viewpoints and their activism is to be commended. I also like that this slogan doesn't give in to the heteronormative viewpoint- it is abrasive, it makes people uncomfortable, and it encompasses the pissed off thoughts that so many in the LGBT community currently feel. These are feelings and thoughts that NEED a bigger footing in the world; people need to hear these words, and Jacobs has made that a possibility.
I also like the fact that this advertisement/slogan/shirt/mantra/fun time focuses on lesbian (rather than gay male or both gay and lesbian) rights. It seems like everywhere you turn in the gay rights debate you see either gay men fighting for rights, or you see a combination/ dichotomy between gay AND lesbian rights. It is nice to see that lesbian rights have an opportunity, destined by a male designer, to open their own dialogue and to take their rights movement on their own time. Granted, I think that all groups within the LGBT community need to work together, but I think it is also important to make it clear that all identities within this movement have a unique vantage point to be considered.
Regardless of any rhetorical outcomes of this t-shirt design, I think that Marc Jacobs and the HRC should be commended for its design and execution. I hope that it is only one instance of many abrasive t-shirts to come. Loud and proud!
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