The contradiction of a creative business ruled by machismo. (Perspective).(Brief Article)

Did you hear the one about the no-nonsense client who congratulated an agency on winning his business, only to insist that the appointment would be revoked if the "poof" who had been an integral part of the agency's pitch team was ever introduced to him again? And so he wasn't.

Almost unbelievably (but only almost) this is a true story. Wild horses will not drag the name of the client concerned out of me, but the reason for my reticence has nothing to do with sparing client embarrassment and everything to do with sparing the agency staffer further punishment.

The lessons to be extrapolated from this story are not only that some clients and agency managers are bigots who don't deserve to have anyone working for them, but also that advertising itself has created a culture which is, if not openly homophobic, then certainly discreetly so.

The irony is that advertising, like other creative industries, attracts a high proportion of gay employees. Its young, informal and relaxed atmosphere might seem a natural backdrop for gay people to express themselves in a work context. As gay influences are increasingly prevalent in general culture, agencies have been keen to seek the views and experiences of as many homosexual men and lesbians as possible.

Occasionally these influences find their way into ads: O&M's Impulse spot, HHCL's Britvic poster. The very notion of the "pink pound" even posits the gay community as a discreet target ...