Is your company/organisation really an ally to the LGBTQ+ Community or is it just taking advantage, therefore falling into #PrideWashing?
During this month you have probably seen lots of content about PRIDE and the LGBTQ+ community. Users nowadays are becoming more and more aware of the true involvement of companies in social causes and therefore many campaigns have been marked as Pride Washing. Pride Washing, also known as rainbow washing, are marketing campaigns targeted at the LGBTQ+ community whose sole purpose is to sell more and to seem more inclusive just by doing little actions like changing the company logo to a rainbow colored one. Meanwhile, inside the company there are still many LGBTQ+ employees that do not feel safe, represented or even equal to their peers.
HISTORY OF PRIDE MONTH
June was first declared Pride Month in 1999 in the United States by former President Bill Clinton. Since then, as the LGBTQ+ movement grew in the US and in the world, so did their rights. It has not always been on the path it was desired but there have been significant positive changes over the years. The Obama administration declared June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month each of the eight years he was in office. However, the month of June 2015 was extra especial and important for the community when, on the 26th of that month, the Supreme Court declared Same-Sex Marriage Legal In All 50 States.
Pride month occurs in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. This is why many pride events are held during this month, to recognize the impact of the LGBTQ+ community over the world and to fight for those who are still in danger to live their true identity.
As the LGBTQ+ community became more visible over the world, many companies and organisations decided to show their support towards this group by doing special actions and activities, especially during the month of june. For example, beginning in 2012, Google displayed some LGBTQ+-related search results with different rainbow-colored patterns each year during June.
As the years passed by, more and more companies hopped on to this movement, many with a meaningful message to protect and support its LGBTQ+ employees. However, as these actions started to grow, some companies saw a great opportunity to earn money, awareness and engagement through the LGBTQ+ community. How? Many brands started to paint its logo on all their social media with the Pride Flag during the month of June but as soon as July started, everything went back to being the same. Some companies started creating campaigns, advertisements, merchandising and even “special discounts'' during pride month that, for many, just were another way of pretending to be an ally of the community without actually supporting the community.
There have been numerous examples of companies that have taken part of this “rainbow painted logo mania” and still have not implemented any policies inside their own companies to protect their LGBTQ+ employees against attacks, abuses and any other kind of discrimination by other employees or even their superiors.
Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community are not alone in this type of “profitable activism” that we can see online nowadays. We can see it every march when Women’s Day arrives and companies paint their logos and websites in purple but they actually do not have a suitable and safe environment for women to work at. Or even just a few months ago, when the war in Ukraine started, companies and organisations didn’t even blink and painted their logos in blue and yellow representing the Ukrainian flag, yet, how many of these entities actually donated money and proactively helped the Ukrainian population that was being attacked?
It seems like, for many, being an activist is sort of a trendy thing. There are relentless examples of other social causes that have been used for profit rather than for actual positive social change: the Black Lives Matter Movement, Greta Thunberg and the Environment, Pride Month, Women’s Rights, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 Pandemic…
However, not everything is lost and we shouldn’t be deceived by those who take advantage of these moments. We need to stay positive and look on the bright side. There are many companies who are actually changing their logos, creating beautiful campaigns and donating money to projects that help many people around the world. We need to focus on those examples and let the other companies know that activism is not a thing you do once a year, it is something you do on a daily basis, it is at the core of your company.
SOME EXAMPLES OF GREAT LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH CAMPAIGNS
1. Abercrombie
For the third time, Abercrombie has teamed up with The Trevor Project to release a capsule collection. The gender-inclusive adult collection is available in sizes XXS-XXXL and includes everything from T-shirts to sandals and more.
The company has also committed to an increased donation of $400,000.
2. Ulta Beauty
How They Celebrate Pride: ULTA celebrates the LGBTQ community during Pride Month — and always. You can read stories about self-expression at ulta.com.
How They Give Back: Shop all of its brands while donating to organizations like GLAAD, The Trevor Project and more to support the LGBTQ community. Ulta supports the PFLAG organization.
3. OREO
How They Celebrate Pride: As an ally of the gay community, OREO has released its annual limited-edition Pride Pack for 2022. The pack features words of support “sourced from real allies with a writable space that gives the opportunity for everyone to add their own words of allyship,” according to OREO.
How They Give Back: OREO has a long-standing partnership with PFLAG and its commitment to the LGBTQ community.
4. Apple
How They Celebrate Pride: Each year they release new Apple Watch Bands with rainbow themed colours. This Pride-centric sports band features vibrant colours, and the word “Pride” is woven right in.
How They Give Back: Proceeds support the advocacy organisations that Apple sponsors, including Encircle, Equality Federation Institute and PFLAG.
FINAL WORDS
This week, Andy Cohen, one of the most important LGBTQ+ TV Host in the United States sent a message about pride month on his late night show Watch What Happens Now. He said many important things, but one that resonated the most was:
“Yes, it can get weird to see even rainbow themed credit cards to consume even more rainbow themed products. [...] But, positive representation is a net positive for our community and representation starts with you. So go ahead and change your logos to a rainbow one and also do what you can to help your LGBTQ staff and people around you not only during the month of June”
