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Welcome to the Village, Montreal’s Inclusive District

Press release – Quebec City, Thursday, April 21, 2022

The SDC du Village and lg2 have partnered to create a video manifesto that celebrates the inclusiveness, diversity and plurality of the different identities of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

The Société de développement commercial (SDC) du Village (Village Montréal) is pursuing its campaign, launched last fall, to communicate its renewed positioning as an Inclusive District. Accompanied by lg2, Village Montréal, formerly known as the “Gay Village,” is reaffirming this message this spring with a 90-second video manifesto that celebrates the pride, validation of identities and sense of belonging experienced in the world’s largest 2SLGBTQ+ village. In addition to these themes, the video also touches on important issues in the district and calls for the place to be reclaimed.

“The Village was created by and for the community as a place of refuge and empowerment. Village Montréal wanted to go further by affirming an inclusiveness that embraces all people represented by the 2SLGBTQ+ acronym. Our collaboration with lg2 has allowed us to position ourselves as a true mecca for diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s an invitation to those who feel they belong to the Village to come and make it their own. The unveiling of this video manifesto, a new kind of advertising campaign, confirms this status and allows us to send a strong message that the Village is a place of inclusion, boldness and caring for all.”

JP Loignon

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Village Montréal

Creating an inclusive sense of belonging

Narrated like a poem, the Inclusive District manifesto features the voice of Scott Farley, an actor from Montreal’s 2SLGBTQ+ community. His verses equate the district with identity and pride, both recurring themes in this evocative and unifying video.

The new Village logo, in which the letters “l” are elongated to represent the equal sign, serves as an important device that links to the video’s visual and narrative content. Moreover, it was important to get the representation right throughout the video – even the extras identify as having non-conforming sexual and gender identities. In total, 17 people reveal their identity in this orchestrated dance of diversity. All of them belong to the Village and are members of 2SLGBTQ+ community.

“The work we did for the Village is the result of a very rewarding collaboration. We redesigned their brand image and digital platform, and now we’ve brought this strong positioning to life. From the big idea to the copy, and from design to digital, our different areas of expertise have succeeded in communicating not only a message of inclusivity, but a declaration of unity at the heart of this internationally known neighbourhood.”

Alexandra Laverdière

Partner, General Manager – Quebec City, lg2

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