Design Ignites Change - Projects

School of Visual Arts

Two Wings is a creative campaign produced by an international team of animators, designers and musicians, to advocate for LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. Partnering with ORAM (Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration), Two Wings creates compelling, original content to generate interest and donations, and to raise awareness about this much-ignored issue. The heart of the Two Wings campaign is a series of short animated films, based on true stories, that recreate the courageous refugee narratives of individual LGBT people. The first four films tell stories from Iran, Iraq, Jamaica and Zimbabwe.

Matthew Heckart
2wings.org
matthew@2wings.org

2wings.org
oraminternational.org

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June 18, 2013

Campaign promo card 6” X 4” (front), illustrated by Christian Robinson

Still from ‘Mirror; Ahmed’s Story.’ ‘Mirror’ is about Ahmed, a young Iraqi who witnesses a brutal attack on the streets of a Baghdadi bazaar. Story by Kaveh Bamdad, animated by Brandon Jan Blommaert.

Still from ‘Rift; Luleka’s Story.’ ‘Rift’ is about a new romance between Luleka and Funda, young women in the slums of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Story by Ariel Travis, animated by Jose Maldonado.

Still from ‘Souvenir; Paul’s Story.’ ‘Souvenir’ follows the Paul and Andre as they plan to escape discrimination and bigotry in Kingston, Jamaica. Story by Daniel Ewing, animated by Christian Robinson

2wings.org homepage

Images and testimonials are essential for effective human rights and humanitarian campaigns. The public must be able to identify with, and feel empathy for, the people who need help. Unlike other, more publicized causes, there are no images that show the struggles of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers escaping persecution.

Animation is an ideal medium for Two Wings; it provides imagery and material that can publicize the issue, without putting anyone at risk. The primary goal is to raise awareness for LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. The central call to action is to encourage participation by watching and sharing Two Wings content.

Honduras urged to investigate transgender killings

February 2, 2011

The pressure group Human Rights Watch has called on the government of Honduras to investigate the murders of six transgender women. The women were killed over the past two months. The government has condemned the killings, but Human Rights Watch says it is failing to prosecute attacks on transgender people. Murder ...more ⇒

Bangladesh girl ‘lashed to death’

February 2, 2011

Four people including a Muslim cleric have been arrested in Bangladesh in connection with the death of 14-year-old girl who was publicly lashed. The teenager was accused of having an affair with a married man, police say, and the punishment was given under Islamic Sharia law. Hena Begum’s family members said a ...more ⇒

Ugandan Brenda Namiggade wins temporary reprieve

January 29, 2011

Brenda Namiggade says she fears for her life if she is returned from the UK to Uganda, where gay sex is illegal. Her initial asylum application had been refused. The Home Office said a court had ruled she was “not homosexual” and therefore did not have a genuine claim. Prominent gay rights campaigner David ...more ⇒

Scuffle mars burial of Uganda gay rights activist

January 28, 2011

A scuffle erupted Friday at the funeral of a murdered Ugandan gay rights activist after the presiding priest charged that homosexuality is “evil and will be punished by God.” “You must repent. Even the animals know the difference between a male and a female,” Anglican priest Thomas Musoke told ...more ⇒

Ugandan Who Spoke Up for Gays Is Beaten to Death

January 27, 2011

David Kato knew he was a marked man. As the most outspoken gay rights advocate in Uganda, a country where homophobia is so severe that Parliament is considering a bill to execute gay people, Mr. Kato had received a stream of death threats, his friends said. A few months ago, a Ugandan newspaper ran an antigay diatribe ...more ⇒