I think both @theeryanwold and you are attributing too much implicit meaning to the image. If it shows anything, it is how identity politics can make any depiction of a human being into something that carries controversy, unless we take meticulous care to abstract it, so not any such meaning can be attached to it. I’d say that ‘simplifying’ so race, gender, age, timeframe cannot be identified would rather dehumanize the image, reducing it to a universal logo, rather than a ‘Hero image’ (a printing term, not refering to the person) to be used on the front page, that is fittingly depicting the mission statement written next to it.
PS. I will continue the discussion on Human Rights in Digi Rights: Applying fundamental Human Rights to the Digital Realm