Brisbane Greens candidate Stephen Bates has truly levelled up on Scott Morrison’s photo ops and those big ugly United Australia Party billboards by taking his campaign ads to Grindr. It’s called knowing your audience, babes.
This isn’t the first time The Greens has topped, tailed and targeted its ads. Melbourne Greens candidate Sam Hibbins served geo-located ads on the gay dating app in 2014. He promoted Greens events held at gay clubs, which is a fucking genius idea. Poppers and politics, it’s the way to go.
Then another Melbourne Greens candidate Alex Bhathal used a Grindr ad in 2016 to criticise the sitting Labor MP David Feeney.
“Labor’s MP for Batman David Feeney has never voted in support of marriage equality,” it said.
“This election — vote for your rights. Vote 1 Greens.”
So Stephen Bates’ ads are firmly continuing the grand tradition of The Greens Grindr campaigning.
He told PEDESTRIAN.TV that the ads were about “meeting people where they’re at”.
“I’m gay myself and I know Grindr itself plays a huge role in the queer community, if it’s for relationships or just meeting other people who are like you and knowing that there’s other people like you out there,” he said.
“As weird as it will sound to any gay person [hearing] this, it is a big place of community where a lot of people do come together.”
Bates also pointed out that Brisbane has one of the highest queer votes and one of the youngest voter demographics in the country.
Both Bates and the sitting Brisbane MP — the Liberal National Party’s Trevor Evans — are gay.
Bates said the ads are a way to show queer people in Brissy that they have an alternative for LGBTQIA+ representation in Parliament, particularly ‘cos Evans voted in favour of the Religious Discrimination Bill.
So fuck it, why not I guess!
He reckons the ads will help voters see that politicians don’t always have to take themselves too seriously. Of the four approved Grindr slogans, Bates said “the best Parliaments are hung” is his favourite. I mean it’s pretty hard to top, wink wink nudge nudge.
“I think it’s funny, but also because… it’s a good message,” Bates explained, pointing to the hung Parliament between 2010 and 2013 where The Greens worked closely with Labor under Julia Gillard.
“We got to put dental into Medicare for kids under 12, we got the price on carbon, we got the Australian Renewable Energy Agency,” he said.
“You can do a lot when parties and politicians actually want to work together. So it’s funny, but also gives out a good message.
“Cooperation and collaboration actually does work for the benefit of everyone.”
Alas, there was one fucking stellar slogan that didn’t quite make the cut: “Choke on cock, not coal”. A noble sacrifice was made.
As a lesbian, I would like to personally request politicians start targeting me with ads. Sure, sapphic dating apps are largely shite but maybe they could join some carpentry/Subaru/carabiner appreciation Facebook groups?
Hit me with a dental dam pun and I’m all yours.
