Victorian Government tackles discrimination of trans and gender diverse people in Australian-first campaign ‘The Unsaid Says a Lot’ via Think HQ

Silent gestures speak louder than words in a ground-breaking campaign for the Victorian Government by positive change agency Think HQ that shines a light on the discrimination trans and gender diverse people face every day.

‘The Unsaid Says a Lot’ campaign – the first Government-led campaign of its kind in Australia – highlights the often overlooked, non-verbal cues and micro-aggressions that contribute to a culture of discrimination and exclusion, and urges people to become allies for driving systemic change.

After being appointed by the Victorian Government for its deep expertise working in the LGBTIQA+ space, on sensitive issues and in community engagement, Think HQ took a co-design approach to campaign ideation.

The agency worked with representatives from Victorian’s trans and gender diverse community, including prominent transgender director, actor, writer and producer Harvey Zielinski whose lived experience and creative input helped bring the work to life authentically.

Think HQ’s collaborative approach uncovered insights about the experiences of trans and gender diverse people and the extent of unspoken discrimination they face – including the understanding that 93 percent of communication is non-verbal – that informed the campaign platform.

Creative emphasises how small moments of unspoken bias accumulate to create a larger, pervasive culture of exclusion and discrimination.

Reinforcing the campaign tagline – ‘The unsaid says a lot. So, think about what you’re really saying’ – no words are spoken in the hero film.

The 60-second film depicts five everyday scenarios where trans or gender diverse people are made to feel either excluded and rejected, or welcomed and accepted, from sharing an elevator to catching public transport, moving into a new neighbourhood, turning up at a family gathering or joining a footy team.

The scenarios carry through in print and OOH executions that feature stills and copy from each of the five scenarios, along with the campaign tagline.

Minister for Equality, Harriet Shing (she/her), explained The Unsaid Says A Lot campaign would help people see the impact of everyday discrimination experienced by trans and gender diverse communities, stating, “This campaign is all about encouraging people to stop and think about how their actions towards trans and gender diverse people can make a huge difference – for better or for worse. We know that our interactions with others really matter, and this campaign is part of our ongoing work to reduce discrimination and stigma, and to contribute to more inclusive connections for trans and gender diverse people.”

“With this campaign we are inviting all Victorians to think about how they act and what they can do to help shape equality in our state.”

Says Andy Lima (he/him), chief creative officer, Think HQ: “The power of this campaign lies in its co-creation with members of the trans and gender diverse community. Our aim was to deliver a state-wide campaign that celebrated and raised awareness of the community’s experiences, supporting greater inclusion and addressing trans and gender diverse discrimination. With that in mind, we worked with the community through a series of workshops to first define the issues and vision for the campaign, and come up with creative solutions together.”

Prominent transgender director, actor, writer and producer Harvey Zielinski (he/him) adds “I think this campaign is really important and powerful and I’m really pleased to be involved, especially in light of the vitriol we’ve witnessed towards the trans and gender diverse community over the past year. I wish we didn’t need to campaign for respect. I believe acceptance and inclusion should be a given, a bare minimum societally. I hope campaigns like this help work towards this goal, and improve the day-to-day lives of trans and gender-diverse people.”

Creative materials including videos, posters, social media assets will be supported by a range of community engagement activities designed to foster empathy and inclusivity.

The campaign urges the public to become allies to trans and gender diverse people by sharing and displaying resources and educational materials including videos and posters from The Unsaid website.

Campaign development was also supported by a La Trobe University survey that found more than 3 in 4 trans and gender diverse people were treated unfairly because of their gender identity in the preceding 12 months – a contributing factor to higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide in LGBTIQA+ people than in the general population.

The Unsaid Says a Lot is a key component of the Victorian Government’s Pride in our Future: Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ strategy 2022-32 that is dedicated to promoting equality and inclusivity for LGBTIQA+ communities across the state.

The work launched across media channels including online, print, outdoor and socials on 26 June.

To learn more about trans and gender diverse communities, please go to: https://www.vic.gov.au/theunsaid

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH)
Laura Miller (she/her) – Director Strategic Communications and Digital
Jenny Ahmet (she/her) – Head of Campaigns, Brand and Design
Michael West (he/they) – Director, Seniors Policy, Equality and Elder Abuse Reform
Matthew Guy (he/him) – Manager, LGBTIQA+ Equality Programs

Think HQ
Jen Sharpe (she/her) – Founder and Managing Director
Lisa Gumbleton (she/her) – Group Head of Creative Strategy and Client Service
Andy Lima (he/him) – Chief Creative Officer
Fiona Nixon (she/her) – Chief Strategy Officer
Jess Glass (she/her)  – Group Account Director
Blake Mason (he/they) – Group Account Director, PR
Evie McCullough (she/her) – Account Manager, PR
Rob Barnett (he/him) – Executive Creative Director
Sam McCarron (he/him) – Associate Creative Director
Max Bengtsson (he/him) – Senior Copywriter
David O’Connor (he/they) – Producer
Camilo Suarez (he/him) – Multimedia specialist
Nic Song (he/him) – Editor
Adam Dixon-Galea (he/him) – Sound Designer

CREW
Harvey Zielinski (he/him) – Director
Cielo Croci (he/him) – 1st AD
Alexander Naughton (he/him) – Cinematographer
Wei Guo (he/him) – Production Designer
Colin Page (he/him) – Photographer
Seth Geryon Suda (he/they) – Composer

(Images 2 and 3: Alexander Naughton)