Corporations on LGBTQIA+ Pride & Us
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH
I love June. The Twin Cities puts on such a successful and extravagant festival each year and it is the most unifying event I have had the privilege to attend. In June, Gayness is celebrated, rainbows are everywhere, and it seems nearly every corporation and their mother is suddenly an ally! I’m talking about Kellogg’s Together with Pride cereal, Bud Light’s rainbow cans, and Target’s Pride merchandise clothing section after section after section. Don’t get me wrong, I love that we are being properly uplifted and represented in cinema, stores, and media platforms. However, I fear such portrayals come at the expense and tokenization of the community. What we stand for begins to get muddled, and the support for us thereof becomes a for-profit endeavor that could eventually (and more recently) pose more harm than growth in systemic success. Through discussing a loss of neutrality, resulting uptake in political polarization, and advertising campaigns perpetuating corporate hypocrisy, let’s celebrate Pride in a space of education and personal growth.
No more Neutrality
One of the most consuming issues of our current social and political time is the decline in standing between far-right or far-left influence. Instead of America evolving into a climate of “and/both” we are religiously “either/or.” And it is ruining us. For communities of color, women or non-binary identifying, and low-income, the pressure to cede to one side’s agenda without worsening our current state is exhausting. As society members, we have internalized this very “either/or” mantra and assumed the worst when a side is not explicitly expressed. This can be seen in the events of the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. In the summer of 2020, it became popular (and in some cases, an expectation) to place a BLM sign in one’s front yard or repost a black screen on Instagram to demonstrate support towards the current atrocities. When celebrities or everyday people would not participate in this public announcement of following, they were written off as being supporters and complacent to the other side’s agenda. Because if we are not Black Lives Matter, we are Blue Lives Matter. This idea has further perpetuated our nation into political extremism that is only getting worse. As demonstrated in the January 6th insurrection, some Americans will stop at nothing to achieve the demands of their political and ideological belief systems. These achievements occur at the downfall of the other side and it seems we will stop at nothing to shape America the way we envision.
Social or Political?
Some argue about the gray area that Pride awareness falls under. I mean, I find a lot of shit wrong with how who we love is a topic of discussion in the supreme court. I also do not understand why what I decide to do with my body as a woman is debated in that very same room. What and who dictates if a social concept is argued upon in a political setting? I am tired of it. Can we not just live? Anyways. Although same-sex marriage, trans-affirming surgeries, and similar LGBTQIA+ arguments have plagued our headlines more recently, this social-turned-political debate was rarely even discussed. In fact, Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of GLAAD, which strives to build acceptance for the queer community, reports on CNN that it was not even ten years ago that businesses could include LGBTQIA+ propaganda in their ads and receive blatantly negative feedback from political parties, competing corporations, and the day-to-day public. Now, however, thanks to our especially polarized civil society, some corporations feel an obligation to publicize their support so their audience does not assume the worst from their brand. It has also become trendy to be woke or systemically aware and institutions can easily hop on the equity-bandwagon during celebratory months like these. Somewhere along the way, this consistent media representation turned into mainstream acceptance. Or a publicity stunt.
Advertising Campaign
The queer community and other marginalized groups have been at the forefront of our media take in recent years. But how are we exemplified? Through tales of love, success, and reconciliation? Or with stories of trauma, protests, and unequal fights? We want to feel seen and supported but when it comes at the cost of the progress we have made it does more harm. Corporations like Kelloggs, Bud Light, and Target, are striving to uplift us in a consumerist economy. My biggest concern is the disagreement between their intention and their impact. When such demonstrations are fostered out of avoidance of audience rejection, lack of profit, or fear of falling victim to cancel culture, it becomes clear who the products are intended for. For example, very recently, Target received negative conservative backlash after their pride merchandise - especially their advertised trans-friendly swimsuits - were put on wide display throughout their stores. In an attempt to appease critics, they went ahead and restructured their Pride collection and even went back on parts of their original campaign. This angered members of the queer community, and it was reported that two days ago, five Targets in the country received a bomb threat as a result of their ‘betrayal’ of the LGBTQIA+ community.
First off, no side here (conservatives, Target, parts of the queer community) was unproblematic in exaggerating this issue, I want to make that clear. However, this vexed dispute further demonstrates the destructiveness that making queerness a political cornerstone does for almost all members of this nation. When such businesses go back on their campaigns, as seen in the recent Target fiasco, it hurts the spotlighted community and the business’s own reputational success. This does not necessarily imply that Pride or similar social establishments should not be evoked in any capitalist setting but delineates the power of the media in provoking a damaging debate out of nothing.
Justice Horn, policy advocate and social justice activist from Missouri responded to this recent Target situation with a tweet:
“When organizations cave like this it shows all of us that it was never about standing with LGBTQ+ people, it was always about making a profit. If you’re not going to stand with our community on the bad days, please don’t stand with us on the good days.”
How can we celebrate Pride?
Performative advocacy is hurtful and difficult to adequately recognize or combat. In spreading awareness, allyship, education, and encouragement, there are proper guidelines that can be taken to ensure that the queer community is not at the face of media for institutional profit, but instead for systemic alteration.
Hosting an educational workshop and panel - When navigating how businesses and workplace settings should go about celebrating pride, there can be inclusive value in hosting seminars for employees. These can be put on as an office lunch, inviting speakers from local universities to share information on pronoun implementation, minimizing harm, and interacting with LGBTQIA+ members in the work community. Events like these can help to foster queer-safe spaces for members and consumers of a company. Learn more about organizing a Pride panel here.
Donate to an LGBTQIA+ Charity - As a corporation, funds that may be dedicated to a new and potentially harmful line of Pride merchandise could instead be put into organizations that work to alleviate current hardships faced by the queer community. Some examples include:
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund
National Resource Center for LGBT Aging
Host a Pride Run or Celebratory event! - My company is putting on a Pride Fun Run 5k this year in the later weeks of June to fully celebrate our queer employees and the community. Workers are encouraged to invite their friends and family members for the activity, with games, food, and other fun activities taking place on this day.
Attending and supporting established Pride Festivals near you - If you are not necessarily a part of a corporation or if you are looking for what to recommend to employees, advertise the local Pride celebrations! Whether it is smaller city or county events, or major parades like the ones in Baltimore, San Francisco, or Denver, getting the word out in a positive way exemplifies support for the community and those in charge of and showcased in the events. Sometimes we do not have the resources or time to properly host or organize an event, so spotlighting others’ efforts is a great tool for action.
I hope you celebrate June in an uplifting way with supportive peers and in an empowering environment. Regardless of the month or time of year, I hope you continue to be prideful of who you are and your gender, sexual, racial, and intersectional identity.
We can celebrate Pride every day. I hope you choose to.
