When faced with a choice between prioritizing visibility and improving LGBTQ+ rights, visibility almost always takes precedence.
We’ve all seen it: as soon as the clock strikes midnight on May 31, big corporations swap out their logos and launch pride themed campaigns on social media just in time for Pride month. This sudden burst of often leaves us questioning the authenticity of their actions.
By the time Pride month rolls around, the corporate world explodes in a colour carnival of pro-LGBTQ+ ments, campaigns and rebranding. These efforts allow companies to make their values clear, show for their LGBTQ+ employees, and, in the best cases, use their platform to demand social change.
Yet many of these corporations have faced criticism for ‘rainbow washing’—the act of superficially ing Pride while simultaneously funding anti-LGBTQ+ agendas and actively discriminating against LGBTQ+ individuals.
Put simply, ‘rainbow washing’ is the exploitation of rainbow-themed symbolism in branding, advertising, merchandise, or social media to feign solidarity with LGBTQ+ people during Pride Month for profit and a deceptive air of allyship, without actively ing LGBTQ+ identities or rights.
While public for the LGBTQ+ community is crucial for increasing visibility and creating change through social pressure, such visibility must be genuine and extend beyond mere campaigns and PR stunts to be impactful.
Pride campaigns become inappropriate when they’re not followed by financial for the LGBTQ+ community and activist organizations—especially when the profits made from any merchandise sold as part of the Pride campaign go to funding anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and agendas.
When rainbow branding is done without additional proactive , it becomes a performative and manipulative tactic used to improve brand perception and increase monetary gains. The use of the rainbow logo becomes nothing but an appropriation of its imagery and significance.
As LGBTQ+ visibility has grown, so too has the political backlash. Republican lawmakers have advanced a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures across the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is currently tracking over 500 different bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights, which, even if not all become law, still cause harm to LGBTQ+ individuals around the world.
Data for progress rereleased a list of companies in the United States that hypocritically launched Pride campaigns while donating to organizations that actively discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. Some of these companies include Toyota, AT&T, Amazon, FedEx, and Comcast, who have collectively donated over $1 million to anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns.
Authentic for Pride goes beyond mere social media posts and branded merchandise. It includes corporations actively advocating for equal rights, fair treatment, and opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals across society and on governmental levels.
One example of such authentic is Levi Strauss & Co.. Levi’s has been a trailblazer in ing LGBTQ+ rights since 1992 when they were the first company to offer equal benefits to domestic partners. Each year, Levi’s also donates a hundred thousand dollars to Outright International, an organization dedicated to advancing human rights for LGBTQ+ people worldwide.
Each organization can express this uniquely by leveraging their influence to push for legislative changes, donating to organizations promoting LGBTQ+ rights, or fostering inclusive workplaces that empower LGBTQ+ individuals.
When confronted with severe anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, it becomes essential to carefully consider where our is directed during Pride Month.
Individuals should conscientiously choose which organizations they and financially contribute to, not just during the month of June but year-round. If visibility comes at the expense of compromising LGBTQ+ rights and perpetuating discrimination, then such is better left behind.
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