This is the second ad Jeff Gates placed in the Washington, DC Metro in the month leading up to the 2012 presidential election.
In 2015, anti-Muslim activist, Pamela Geller, submitted a proposal to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for an ad featuring the winner of a "Draw Muhammad" cartoon contest. The ad was rejected after WMATA banned all "issue-oriented" ads in its system.
In March 2017, a former Egyptian political prisoner's ad campaign set to run during Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi's April visit to Washington was also rejected on the same grounds. Citing free speech, the ACLU filed a suit a few months later, but the ban remains in effect.
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The posters in this series reflect the conflicts the American political system has been experiencing during the turbulent period between 2010-2018. They are meant to encourage an exploration and a dialogue about the cultural minefield we now find ourselves in.