public policies
"A public policy is a concept of political science which designates the “interventions of an authority vested with public power and governmental legitimacy in a specific area of society or territory”.
A look back at the only product campaigning for the same-sex marriage
The Rhum "Oui à l'égalité"
A unique project combining LGBTQIA+ rights
and fair trade
Real. 2013
Birth of the project
When a new government had just been elected, we came up with the idea of creating a product that would support LGBTQIA+ rights and the law opening marriage to same-sex couples. This product had to be exemplary and socially responsible. So we spoke to a number of fair trade organisations to come up with the idea.
Our aim was twofold: to raise awareness of LGBT issues in the fair trade world and to raise awareness of fair trade by engaging with the LGBT community.
The Ethiquable Co-operative agreed to be involved. We also asked artist Dugudus to design the product we would select.
The project
The project was born before the bill had been tabled. Carried out in collaboration with Ethiquable, the choice very quickly fell on Rhum Blanc d'Haïti from a fair trade cooperative. Why White Rum, some may ask? First of all, we wanted to create a 'festive' product that was also of high quality and whose packaging as such could be preserved. A box of chocolate, for example, would not have done (although the idea had crossed our minds). Secondly, at the time, Ethiquable's Haitian partner cooperative needed to sell these bottles, as the 2010 earthquake had caused serious crises that had lasted for some time. Finally, we wanted to create an original, offbeat project that would give free rein to the imagination of screen artist Dugudus. Last but not least, this product would be a limited edition and sold outside the traditional Ethiquable network (usually they sell in supermarkets and the organic network). It was all about making a statement, but the project didn't stop at the bottle. In the end, the rum was complemented by the printing of 3,000 posters featuring the visual and 10,000 stickers.
Steps
01
Creation of the visual
Between November and December, Dugudus proposed a visual to Ethiquable. Talented, it didn't take much back and forth. In fact, his first design was immediately accepted because it was so original and perfect.
02
Official launch in January 2013 and participation in the pro-marriage demonstration
The bottles were now ready. We also started printing the 10,000 stickers and 3,000 flyers that we would be handing out at the January 2013 event, which was attended by a large part of the Ethiquable team, including its founders.
03
Bottles were on sale all the way to the most beautiful avenue in the world.
Now we were on our way to find symbolic sales outlets in addition to the Ethiquable online shop, to sell the 500 bottles. Essentially in Paris, these places were delicatessens, establishments specialising in rum (Rhumerie) or alcohol. The Drugstore Publicis was also quickly interested. The bottle was on the Champs Elysées.
04
Meeting with Erwann Binet, the bill's rapporteur - March 2013
We had the opportunity to meet Erwann Binet, the French National Assembly's rapporteur for the law, to whom we symbolically offered a bottle of rum. We were invited to the Assembly to witness this historic vote.
05
Last sale
The last bottle of rum was sold and the project was over. It had been an extraordinary adventure.
Price breakdown
Dugudus
Dugudus is a graphic designer, illustrator and street artist from Paris.
After studying at the École Estienne and the École des Gobelins, he left to study in Havana. In 2013, after a long period of research, he published his first book on the history of Cuban posters (Cuba Grafica, Éditions L'Échappée), which was to leave its mark on his graphic influences. He works alongside some of Cuba's leading graphic designers and learns to print his own images using screen printing.
He spoke to us about his involvement in the "Mémoire de Luttes" exhibition. Read his account in the gallery.
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The Paysan Papaye movement in Haiti
Le CAELIF
Caélif Étudiant-e-s LGBT is a non-political student inter-association founded in 2001, bringing together LGBT associations from the Grandes Écoles, Instituts and Universities of Paris and the surrounding region. Caelif was a partner in the project, notably through Emmanuelle Campo.
Front page of Le Monde, 23 April 2013, Emmanuelle Campo and Didier Reynaud outside the National Assembly after the vote on the law opening marriage and adoption to all.
Key figures for the project
The Rum at the French National Assembly
We symbolically presented a bottle of Rhum oui à l'égalité to Mr Erwann Binet, then Member of Parliament and rapporteur for the Act at the National Assembly.
In the photo, Emmanuelle Campo, then co-president of CAELIF, presents this unique bottle to the man who was the voice of the law.
Press Review
Rhum Oui à l'Egalité has been widely commented on in the specialist press, in the LGBT press on several occasions and on numerous ecology-related websites. Rhum Oui à l'Egalité was also the subject of an extensive article in a supplement to the Libération newspaper. Finally, Didier Reynaud and Dugudus were nominated as personalities of the year by the leading LGBT medium YAGG. Below is a non-exhaustive selection.
Click on an image to see the gallery full screen and read the selected articles (only in French).
Flashmob "Oui à l'égalité" by Mimi Margue
An entire radio programme devoted to the project!
A threat and a call to boycott the project.
When the debates became heated and multiple organisations took root in the public arena. A call for a boycott was launched against the Ethiquable cooperative because it supported marriage for all. Fortunately, this call for a boycott had no consequences. Equality and fairness won the day.
Some customers
