![\"gay](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/text2.jpeg?resize=740%2C392\")
A new short film and advertisement called “The Text”, written and directed by Dustin Lance Black for Coca-Cola, centers on bullying and two gay<\/a> teens<\/a> in love.<\/p>\nBlack was recruited by Coca-Cola to direct three shorts for the company to air in Latin America that challenge young people to choose compassion over bullying. As Black told AdWeek<\/a>, one of the campaigns was specifically “aimed at the LGBT community.” The intent Black says was to show “a crossroads moment<\/a> where you’ve got to make a decision:<\/a> Are you going to go the way of kindness, or are you going to go for the easy joke when someone’s having a tough time?” The moral being that, “If you do something with acceptance and kindness, you can create a true friendship.”<\/p>\n “The response in the LGBT community to “The Text” was remarkable. I heard from one of the heads at the ABC network about how much it moved her. I heard from Cleve Jones, one of the leaders of the LGBT movement, about how much it moved him. And these aren’t people I sent it to. They found it, which I find remarkable, since it’s in Portuguese on the Internet. For Coca-Cola to take a pro-diversity, pro-equality stance creates a lot of goodwill in the LGBT community. It’s heartwarming for the LGBT community to see that a global brand would embrace this community because, let’s be honest, there are places in the world that know about Coca-Cola where it is still a death sentence to be gay<\/a>.”<\/p>\n As for the cynics and critics, Black views this short as an opportunity to “move the needle”:<\/p>\n “Some…are very critical of what the intent of the brand [Coca-Cola] might have been. And I say, “Yes, their intent was to win a market, and their intent was to sell their product.” My intent was to send the message that diversity is a good thing and LGBT people and their families deserve respect and love. Well, I’m not going to skip an opportunity to send a pro-equality message just because they’re selling a product alongside it.”<\/p>\n Watch the short, below:<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The post Gay Teen Love the Focus of New Coca-Cola Short from Dustin Lance Black: WATCH<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"text\"](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/text.jpeg?resize=740%2C392\")
As for how the LGBT community responded to the short thus far, Black said,<\/p>\n