Dozens of bikini-clad beauties, upset New York residents, executives from the African American Media Network and civil rights activists congregated outside MTA’s headquarters in New York on Tuesday morning.
Why?
They were protesting the transportation authority’s recent decision to ban a popular Georgi Vodka ad featuring an African American woman donning a sexy swimsuit from appearing on buses that travel through certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn following complaints from religious communities.
“We’re very upset about the censorship,” Georgi Vodka spokesperson Todd Shapiro told Pop Tarts. “We had about 50 girls pointing their backsides at the MTA as part of the protest, basically telling them to ‘butt’ out.”
The adult beverage company said it has no intention of resting on its laurels until its advertisement is blast across the backside of all buses on the Brooklyn routes in question. According to Shapiro, Georgi Vodka now plans to drive the billboard through the forbidden areas of the New York borough, encouraging locals to sign a petition for its reinstatement.
This is not the first time Georgi Vodka has come up against city officials.
In 2006, a similar “Georgi Butt” advertisement, which showcased a woman’s backside in a string bikini, was yanked from city buses and deemed inappropriate for public viewing. It has since returned to MTA buses in New York City, apparently with the exception of the Brooklyn routes.
MTA declined to comment on the issue, however a source told Pop Tarts that it was not a racial issue by any means, as the same ad featuring a Caucasian model was also pulled.
– Deidre Behar contributed reporting.
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