November is National Adoption Month and Pantene Hair Care Products has dedicated time to honoring that by launching a Family is #BeautifuLGBTQ ad campaign in its honor.
In partnership with Family Equality, the campaign, a series of online videos, seeks to tell the stories of real LGBTQ adoptive families and hair moments that help them build their family bond. The series will live on Pantene's Instagram and extend through November 2021, continuing to share the stories of diverse LGBTQ families throughout the year.
"Hair is the No. 1 expression of self-identity, and we know this is even more important for the LGBTQ community," said Bret Senior, Pantene brand director. "In our ongoing partnership with Family Equality, we learned about the special moments – and struggles – LGBTQ couples embrace when starting a family. As a haircare brand, we're proud to recognize that hair is often a part of the special moments that bring families closer. For these families, hair starts as an unfamiliar challenge that transforms into a familiar connection – whether that's learning to braid your daughter's hair so she feels her most confident, or performing a nightly hair-wrapping routine to form new traditions together."
The hair moments in the series depict real family connections and lasting memories being made. In the series' first video starring Raymond and Robbi and their daughter Ella, they share how her hair bonded them from the very beginning as they created a hair-washing ritual that gave them the time to talk and connect while also learning about her hair needs and heritage with Ella having a birth mother from India and birth father from the Caribbean.
"LGBTQ couples are seven times more likely to adopt than non-LGBTQ couples, and they are also more likely to adopt children who have the most difficulty finding forever homes," said Denise Brogan-Kator, interim CEO and chief policy officer at Family Equality. "We are so proud to be partnering with Pantene on this campaign to show that, while LGBTQ-adoptive families may look or seem 'different', all families have one thing in common – the love for each other built through moments shared, both big and small. That is what makes a family."
This campaign is the latest in support of Pantene's mission to represent, celebrate and make the LGBTQ community feel beautiful year-round, building off of last holiday season's Home for the Holidays campaign and Don't Hate Me Because I'm #BeautifuLGBTQ, which launched during Pride Month in 2019.
To learn more about Family is #BeautifuLGBTQ and how you can support Family Equality, please visit FamilyEquality.org/Pantene. Pantene is also encouraging families to share a family photo using #BeautifuLGBTQ in support of family equality for all. For each photo shared, Pantene is donating $1 to Family Equality up to $100,000.