It’s nice when something invisibly quotidian is tweaked in a way that grabs your full attention. Previously we’ve talked about slightly altered street signs and artistic renderings of subway maps, and now the humble cash machine gets an eye-grabbing makeover in the interest of LGBTQ inclusivity.
The machines were created by Australia and New Zealand bank ANZ as an extension of their sponsorship of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The super-colorful cash points come in a variety of LGBTQ-related designs, including tributes to the bear subculture and Dykes of Bikes, and are temporarily installed near Pride events.
▼ Here’s one for the drag queens!
▼Bears, but not the man-eating kind. Oh wait…
▼Super hot superheroes.
▼ I would make a joke about Dykes of Bikes, but they could easily tie me up like a pretzel. Hot.
In addition to being a highly visible gesture of support, ANZ donates the operator fees from the GayTMs to Twenty10, a community-based, non-profit organization, supporting people of diverse genders, sexes and sexualities.
Not everyone is thrilled with the campaign, though. Some have called it pinkwashing, using a gay-friendly marketing approach to draw attention away from negative aspects of a company. One group went so far as to splash pink paint over a couple of ANZ branches, saying, “As queer subjects, we object to the representation of queer identity in terms of consumptive and wealthy citizens.”
Whether you feel it’s a well-meaning effort or cynical appropriation, you’ve got to love those designs. I wish my local ATM was half so shiny and fun.
H/T Jin 115, mUmBRELLA
Photos and video ANZ Australia
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