Pete Prete with Equality Beyond Gender waves a flag in support of gay marriage in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Jan. 16, 2015.JABIN BOTSFORD/The New York Times
In lieu of faded photographs and cherished memories, most same-sex couples around the world who want to marry have only the spectre of weddings that never were.
PFLAG Canada is conjuring images of knots untied, in a new campaign that launches Monday.
The organization, which supports the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, has released a touching video with retro-style home videos of same-sex weddings set in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s.
It will begin airing on television Monday, through donated time on Corus stations and CityTV.
While same-sex marriage is legal in Canada, the campaign is meant to support people in other countries in the fight for LGBT rights. It comes as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments, beginning Tuesday, in a landmark case on the definition of marriage. The case challenges the legitimacy of state-level bans on same-sex marriage, and could decide whether gay and lesbian couples across the U.S. have the constitutional right to get married.
PFLAG Canada is using the campaign, created by ad agency FCB in Toronto and Chicago, to ask for broader support on the issue. Along with its video, it has launched an online petition to legalize same-sex marriage, directed at "people of the world."
The organization is also asking supporters to share their wedding photos and videos and write about their stories on social media, using the label #LoveMadeLegal.