Anti Freeze

Saturday, February 22, 1986
The Concert Hall

There were sustained debates over the naming of the February 1986 GCDC dance. Initially, the dance was named “Auntie Freeze.” However, at a meeting a few months preceding this dance, poster designer Charles Fisch made a presentation to advocate for the title “Anti-Freeze” instead.

Charles told organisers that he “purposely did not work with the Auntie title, because it is a caricature–an ‘in-joke’ with a small group of people, but meaningless in a larger context.” He explained that he was working with love as a universal concept and that his “intent was to say that Love is the best Antifreeze.” Charles argued that the spelling of “Anti-Freeze” would maintain the integrity of his poster concept, in which he used layered  silhouettes of faces, suggesting an intimate embrace. 

Charles’ appeal to organizers illustrates the significance of the posters not only for the advertising of individual GCDC dances but also as broader representation of the gay and lesbian community.

“This poster is my gift to the community and I want that gift to be perfect. I have indeed devoted many hours to achieve that goal. Not only because it reflects on me, but also because the total poster reflects upon the credibility of this organisation in the community. Also it is public relations materials for the gay community in the straight world. This represents us–the more professional the better. Also, more importantly, it is PR material for GCDC on a long term basis, not only to promote a single dance. And therefore, the impact of each poster should be weighed for its desired effect and the image it projects with regards to this organization as an important financial institution in the gay community.”

– Charles Fisch, Poster Designer