London Zoo celebrated their fifth annual Gay Sunday last weekend, with hundreds of patrons – gay, bi and straight – in attendance.
Held in conjunction with GT, PinkPaper.com and DIVA magazine, the day featured a series of child-friendly events for hetero and single-sex families to ensure that - according to official literature -“everybody had a gay day.”
Despite its impressive turn-out, the day was marred by controversy when officials removed a poster for DIVA on the grounds that it was offensive. Following a comment by a member of the public, staff at London Zoo removed the poster in question, featuring plus-sized cover models in an embrace from the most recent issue of the newly re-designed magazine.
When questioned by DIVA’s news team, a spokesperson for London Zoo said: “The comment, rather than compaint, was about the skin-coloured garments on the models – they looked like they were naked – and thus had nothing to do with them being gay.
“Our agreement with Millivres Prowler Group [DIVA’S publisher] was that they could display promotional posters inside the event area, as this what the sponsorship entailed. All we asked [was that the poster be] directed inside the event area instead of facing out into the zoo.”
Jane Czyzselska, editor-in-chief of DIVA, has responded by branding the comments “absolute nonsense.” She continued: “The models don’t look remotely naked. They are quite clearly clothed. Often it can be difficult to prove that someone is being homophobic because they will use other reasons to hide their prejudice.
“In any case, if it was merely a comment and not a complaint, why did [London Zoo] feel they had to respond to it by removing the image from public view? The whole aim of the Gay Day at the zoo is about making homosexuality visible and unshameful. If ZSL want to organise a gay day in future they need to be sensitive to this issue.”
Despite this, London Zoo enjoyed one of their most successful years of the project. Featuring a bar, stilt walkers and a cordoned-off lawn, it also boasted the Zoo’s newest exhibit with its oldest inhabitants: Giants of the Galapagos. Home to three giant Galapagos tortoises, the exhibit supports ZSL’s conservation work in the Galapagos Islands.