NEW YORK — Alexandra Fine and Janet Lieberman of Dame Products made an appearance earlier today on the "Today Show" to discuss their pending lawsuit with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) over advertising discrimination.
In an interview with NBC's Morgan Radford, Fine and Lieberman state their case, asserting that the lawsuit is about far more than just a subway ad.
"Advertising has a big impact on the fabric of society," said Lieberman. "It controls what you see and what you think are valuable products worth spending money on and caring about."
Following nearly a year of back and forth with Outfront Media, the MTA's third-party ad agency, Dame alleges that their ads were rejected on a discriminatory basis and, as Radford reported, claims that their rights to free speech, due process and equal protection were violated. They are subsequently seeking $150,000 in damages.
In a draft of their formal complaint, the pair cite a smattering of other advertisements that have run in New York's subways featuring breast augmentation surgery, male sexual enhancement pills and sexually suggestive content as the basis of their claim.
"If you’re allowing sexual content within ads for nonsexual companies but you’re not allowing sexual companies to run non-sexual ads, then how is that really better," questioned Lieberman.
The MTA responded to the "Today Show," stating that their ad policy "is not gender-based or viewpoint discriminatory," and that "ads for sex toys or devices for any gender are not permitted," while "advertising for FDA-approved medication is permitted."
MTA's statement comes after the company recently updated its advertising policy, which originally only banned "sexually explicit material," to now specifically exclude sex toy companies, creating a dangerous double standard.
The female-fronted brand that's become known for their mission to "close the pleasure gap" with their no-fuss, ergonomically designed products is celebrating their fifth anniversary this year.
As CEO and co-founder Fine put it, "What we really want to spend our time on is showing [people] how to enjoy sex and feel good in their body but unfortunately in order to do that we also need to advocate for and fight for our rights."
Click here to watch the interview.
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