Look Up! Was That a Homophobic Message in the Sydney Sky?
On January 27 residents of Sydney Australia looked up and read the message "KIDS NEED DADS" written in vapor in the blue sky, reports the Star-Observer.
"The message, the latest in a series of controversial sky signs, sparked heated debate online and across the city."
Whether or not it is meant as an anti-gay sentiment is yet to be confirmed, but it is the latest in a series of similar statements that have appeared above the city in recent years. In 2017 the word "TRUMP" appeared during the Sydney Women's March; and the words "VOTE NO" appeared prior to the national plebiscite on marriage equality. Also, such messages "SAVE UNBORN" and "CHOOSE LIFE" were scrawled in vapor during New South Wales' debate over abortion legislation in 2019, adds the Star-Observer.
And after the U.S. election last November when ex-President Trump was contesting the election results, the words "'Trump 2020' was emblazoned on the sky, half a world away from where the defeated president was making false claims of voter fraud," reported The Guardian.
"The man behind the signs, Rob Vance, owns Skywriting Australia, supposedly the nation's only skywriting business. He's been commissioning sky signs for individuals, groups and corporations since the 1980s but has only come under public scrutiny in recent years." And he hasn't just approved conservative messages. "In June last year, "#BLM" soared overhead as Black Lives Matter protesters marched through Sydney," the Star-Observer writes.
The Guardian reported that rates start at $3,990 for a skywriting message, and $2,790 for an aerial banner. "Skywriting Australia's representative, who asked not to be named due to the volume of abuse he has received in the past, says his work is always commissioned by a third party, with the rare exception of birthday messages for friends."
While there are no specific laws regarding skywriting in Australia, it falls under free speech guidelines with no restrictions on political messages. Corporations must comply to advertising standards, but there was no consensus amongst the legal experts the Guardian contacted as to private individuals. ""We can pretty much do anything, as long it's not rude, crude or nasty," the representative from Skywriting Australia told the Guardian. "[People] always want to do a cock and balls. It's just not on."
But there was one instance that echoed the U.S. debate over discrimination and personal choice with LGBTQ issues. After the "Vote No" commission, "Skywriting Australia rejected a request from marriage equality advocates who crowdfunded to write 'Vote Yaaass' over Sydney." The requesting party claimed the pilot "refused and 'wouldn't do it for 50 grand' - let alone 4,200".
"Skywriting Australia confirms it refused the job, explaining the company received a barrage of abuse after the 'Vote No' commission. 'I just said 'after the way your side's treated me, I'm not doing anything', the company told Guardian Australia."