This New Queer Holiday Commercial Hit Me In All The Feels

December 18, 2022
TOMMY

Global liquor maker Diageo, parent company to such brands as Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Tanqueray, and Crown Royal just to name a few (the list is bonkers), has made a point to create pro-LGBTQ+ commercials as part of their brand identity. Well, they just released a new holiday commercial for their Scotch whisky brand J&B Rare, and let's just say it was the wonderful, emotional gut-punch of joy I didn't realize I needed.

In the commercial, titled "She, un cuento de J&B" ("She, a tale by J&B"), our protagonist is relaxing on a recliner while their wife walks about, chatting on the phone. When she puts her purse down on the table a tube of lipstick peaks out; it's immediately clear there's going to be some hidden identities and shames of generations past. What eventually becomes clear is that the real protagonist here is the young Queer 26 y/o, feeling insecure in their own identity, and who is going to be arriving to spend the holidays with their family.

What ensues is an absolutely beautiful display of grandparental love, as well as a reminder of the ease that so many of us now enjoy which older generations have afforded us by fighting battles both external and internal.

Úrsula Mejía-Melgar, Diageo's marketing director for Southern Europe, said of the campaign,

"At J&B we want everyone to feel free to celebrate at Christmas, to give visibility to a reality that thousands of people in the LGBTQ+ community face in seeking a safe space to be their true selves during the holiday season, And also for the families who frequently suffer the absence of those loved ones who, due to their gender identification or sexual preference, are not present for the Christmas celebrations."

Take a look below and hopefully it brings you the same tear-filled smile it brought me.