You know what actually works when it comes to direct action? Irritating the hell out of people. Non-profit NYC Pride and Havas New York launched a campaign to spam conservative politician’s fax machines with excerpts from queer literature. No, we didn’t just slip on a time-warp banana peel: while state legislators can ignore emails, calls and text, they legally must keep their fax machines switched on in their offices at all times; even in 2022.

Independent creative agency GreenRubino went for the jugular with its guerrilla advertising campaign in support of ending the outdated regulation which prevents many LGBTQ+ people from donating blood. Although scientifically disproven, long lasting stigma by the FDA prevents gay and bisexual men and their partners from donating blood, even in times of crisis. This initiative features a number of tongue-in-cheek images denouncing the arbitrary nature of the ban.

Ikea’s catalogues have recently expanded to include baby names. Presumably because assembling one of their cupboards correctly is about as difficult as rearing a child. Lockdown has seen an increase in pregnancies in Scandinavia, so in a new campaign, the Swedish DIY chain has trawled through Ikea catalogues dating back to the 50s to come up with a selection of possible names for your prospective offspring, as well as offering their own unique explanation of each. Some people are named after flowers, others are named after chairs.

Europe is knocking us out of the park in the gender equality field, as Spain could be the first country to introduce menstrual leave for employees. The legislation says people with severe period pain could receive three days of leave per month, or up to five days in some circumstances. This seems like a perfectly reasonable request, since doctors have recently confirmed some menstrual cramps can actually be as painful as heart attacks.

Australian advertising equality movement shEqual has released a statistics report about sexism in the advertising industry, and the results are grim, but not hopeless. Dianne Hill, CEO of Women’s Health Victoria says “Our data shows a disconnect between the intentions and actions of the industry in depicting women. It’s encouraging that the motivation is there, but the missing piece is an open dialogue on what representation looks like in 2022.” In short, get your shit together Advertising.

Facebook has been collecting the personal information of users who sought out information regarding pregnancy termination, a recent investigation has shown. These actions, which even violate their own privacy policies, could be the difference between life and death for those seeking abortion in the real life Handmaid’s Tale of America, with the Supreme Court’s recent decision that women don’t get rights anymore. Unfortunately, states that have criminalised abortion could use this information to incarcerate innocent people.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum, sisters.

Speaking of archaic institutions, Internet Explorer has officially kicked the bucket, roughly a decade after everyone stopped using it. Safe journey to the big loading screen in the sky, old buddy.

Vegemite, the salty spread only a mother-country could love, is turning 100 next year! For this special occasion, Bega has teamed up with Thinkerbell to request a letter from the Queen, as is the tradition once you reach a centenary. The brand deployed a fleet of mobile digital billboards to drive around London, conveying the request to Buckingham Palace.