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In the video clip posted on social media, four men with Seimas member Petras Gražulis in the foreground wore special shoes and chanted the words “Who won’t jump? That pydaras” while jumping. Three complaints were filed with the Ombudsman regarding the evaluation of this announcement.
One of the complainants, who reported discrimination based on sexual orientation, alleged that the advertising humiliated non-heterosexuals and was against the law and social media policies. The applicant provided academic literature analyzing the impact of such negative information on the psychological state of homosexuals. He also pointed out that hatred towards LGBT + people has dire consequences for Lithuania, as many young people decide to retire due to such treatment.
According to the latest interpretation of the State Lithuanian Language Commission, the word “pedophile” and its derivatives are a derogatory word for gay men and therefore should not be used.
Another applicant submitted an anonymous complaint of discrimination on the basis of disability and sexual orientation. He claimed that he was injured and disabled during his service during the military mission. Due to his inability to play sports, the applicant felt humiliated. According to the petitioner, people who cannot jump are considered useless in advertising, and veterans of the Lithuanian Armed Forces should be more respected, especially members of the Seimas. The complaint notes that advertising also offends homosexuals.
The Equal Opportunity Law provides the right not to process anonymous complaints from applicants unless the ombudsman decides otherwise. However, the ombudsman decided to conduct an investigation and acknowledged that advertising also indirectly discriminates against people with disabilities. The characters in the video clearly demonstrated that only athletes and jumpers are considered valuable people in society, and everyone else is inferior to them and is called derogatory. As a result, people with disabilities and anyone with physical disabilities, such as old age or health, may have felt inferior.
When asked to explain the idea, the motive and the possible consequences of the announcement for the society, Tadas Romeika, head of the small community “Jump to the Shoe”, assumed the responsibility of the publicity of the video clip. He said it was not commercial advertising. The video was allegedly a protest against the quarantine restrictions imposed by the authorities, which prevented the sports sector from carrying out its activities and suffered heavy losses.
“Trademarks must take responsibility for how they advertise their services. Advertising can be a very powerful tool not only for changing mindsets, but also for influencing people’s behavior. When ads are chosen to disparage one or another group of people because of their sexual orientation, disability or other reasons, one can get the impression that this is normal behavior, ”says B. Sabatauskaitė.
The Equal Opportunities Law imposes on all service providers the obligation to ensure in the information about the services that it does not express humiliation, contempt or restriction of rights or granting of privileges for reasons of sexual orientation, disability and other personal characteristics of the people.
