Big picture: 'God hates signs' - gay rights protesters' placards | Art and design

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Big picture: 'God hates signs' - gay rights protesters' placards

There are two ways to get your placard noticed at a gay rights protest: be cute or be funny

Ahead of the Guardian Weekend magazine gay issue, out 21 April, we pay tribute to the best gay rights protesting placards. On Saturday, look out for lesbian Staceyann Chin on the joy of turning a straight woman, Alan Carr paying tribute to the Queen, Evan Davies on the gay Tory phenomenon and the man who tried to 'cure' homosexuality

Fri 20 Apr 2012 16.07 BST First published on Fri 20 Apr 2012 16.07 BST

  • If you're both – witness Mr 'Would-you-rather-I-marry-your-daughter?' – then you've basically struck gold. But if all else fails, being a bit silly works: 'Gay is the new black' doesn't go for the jugular, but it will make you smile

  • The best are those signs that hijack anti-gay rights protesters’ own demonstrations. The most effective way to belittle a stoney-faced extremist holding a sign saying, 'God Hates Fags' is to stand next to him with a large grin and T-shirts reading: 'He's gay'

  • Disregard aesthetics – it shows integrity: a cardboard box and a spray-can gets your message across perfectly well

  • They are a sin, aren't they? But particularly when coupled with that placard

  • The campaign against California’s Proposition 8, in particular, brought out an army of protesters brandishing witty, devastating and downright hilarious placards

  • Many slogans highlight the absurdity of anti-gay marriage arguments. This one says it all

  • Liza Minelli, who married at least one man who later came out as gay, is often name-checked. Dogs make good props

  • Pro-gay marriage protests is just one sub-genre of placard to be found online – visit about.com’s political humour section, or happyplace.com for more. But the gay rights movement seems to have cornered the market in wit and flair. My favourite: the sublime 'Attention heterosexuals: we want to be miserable too'. Who can’t relate to that?
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