Demonstrating Authentic Corporate Allyship for the LGBTQ+ Community
Best practices for corporate decision-makers on creating LGBTQ+ inclusive campaigns during and beyond Pride Month against a backdrop of increasing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
We’ve officially entered LGBTQ+ Pride Month — and this year, more than ever before — the media ecosystem is swirling with divisive headlines and commentary on the rapidly evolving landscape and heightened tensions regarding the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans. Top of mind for many communications professionals this June are recent controversies related to how brands and corporations show their allyship and support for their LGBTQ+ employees, consumers and stakeholders. One thing is certain, increasingly opposing viewpoints being expressed from both sides of the ideological spectrum have made navigating LGBTQ+ consumer and employee engagements very challenging this year.
We live in a world of contradictions.
At a time when more Americans identify as members of this community than ever before and general acceptance for this community continues to climb both in the U.S. and worldwide, we are also witnessing an unprecedented increase in anti-LGBTQ+ acts of violence and a record breaking number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills being introduced in states across the U.S. Many of these bills specifically target the rights and freedoms of transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people, especially youth, largely a result of misinformation being spread online as visibility for this community continues to increase. In response, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has officially declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people living in or traveling to the U.S. due to safety threats and discriminatory laws targeting LGBTQ+ Americans.
From a brand perspective, while the majority of LGBTQ+ consumers indicate they are more likely to purchase from companies that reach out and advertise to the LGBTQ+ community and many organizations continue to recognize LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, corporations are also facing heightened public scrutiny, community push-back from both pro and anti- LGBTQ+ constituents and negative media attention directly related to how they engage, support or advertise to LGBTQ+ consumers. Left-leaning scrutiny often stems from behavior referred to as “rainbow capitalism,” “rainbow washing” or “pinkwashing,” each implying performative allyship by a brand or corporation seeking to profit from LGBTQ+ consumers and allies without actually leveraging their organization’s influence to support LGBTQ+ equality and acceptance. By contrast, those opposed to brands and corporations celebrating Pride Month have been significantly more vocal this year with their dissent, threatening boycotts to organizations producing LGBTQ+ inclusive products or campaigns.
All these factors may make it seem like creating LGBTQ+ inclusive content or publicly demonstrating support for this community is too complex, challenging or risky, but that is fundamentally false in most regions of the world. In fact, authentically representing diverse communities is becoming increasingly important and desirable for key stakeholders, especially younger generations who are increasingly more likely to consider themselves as members of this community.
Guiding principles for business leaders
What follows is a series of recommendations for corporate leaders planning any actions, campaigns or programs meant to showcase their support for the LGBTQ+ community this June and beyond.
Given the heightened political and media attention surrounding this topic and the rapidly evolving landscape relating to the LGBTQ+ community, it is important to acknowledge that these recommendations are not meant to be everlasting or universally applied. It is also important to note that every brand, company and campaign is unique. Furthermore, this guidance is not one-size-fits-all or fully comprehensive. A brand or company should tailor and modify these principles appropriately based on its history of engagement with the LGBTQ+ community, employee composition, areas of operation and other important factors and considerations.
- Focus internally just as much, if not more, than externally: Ensure your organization has adequate LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace policies, hiring practices, nondiscrimination protections, healthcare benefits and other DEI commitments to support an accepting and inclusive workplace culture for LGBTQ+ employees. For more information on this topic, refer to HRC’s Corporate Equality Index. Consult with your organization’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, if one exists, without putting individual team members or small groups in the position of representing the views and opinions of this broad and diverse community. Also, be prepared to address employees that may disagree with the organization’s actions and positions.
- Understand the legislative landscape: It’s important to remember that Pride has its roots in activism, community resilience and joyful resistance against those seeking to discriminate or silence the LGBTQ+ community. Given the legislative landscape across a number of states this year, brands and companies participating in Pride should consider how they meet this moment of need for the community and their LGBTQ+ employees. Executives and brand leaders should consider signing on to public declarations condemning discriminatory bills, such as HRC’s Count Us In Pledge, and work with their government relations team and other key stakeholders on additional actions that can be taken to align prideful messaging with impactful action and support.
- Anticipate and plan for criticism, including increased threats of physical safety: Including LGBTQ+ talent or showcasing support for the LGBTQ+ community in a small or large-scale brand campaign could lead to criticism. This should not deter efforts. Instead, it should inform planning to ensure proper communication strategies are in place to prepare the brand and key stakeholders involved. This year, we are witnessing increased harassment online and threats to physical safety in retail stores and places of business, so its equally important to have the appropriate safety and emergency preparedness protocols in place and shared with relevant parties as necessary.
- Be intentional and critical with representation and language: Ensure community representation is well researched and avoid language, terminology, symbols and other forms of representation that could be perceived as co-opting, appropriating or commodifying the phrases and culture of underrepresented communities for company profit. For example, understanding the distinct differences between those who participate in the artform of drag and transgender individuals, including how and when those two communities intersect.
- Prioritize, incorporate and compensate diverse LGBTQ+ talent and share their stories: Acknowledge and embed the intersectional nature of the LGBTQ+ community in campaign creative. This includes communities of color, women, individuals with disabilities, people living with HIV and LGBTQ+ community members that are most at-risk or underrepresented, including transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people. It’s important to also ensure there is diverse LGBTQ+ representation behind the campaign. Take an inclusive and thorough approach to campaign building that provides checks and balances by commissioning and properly compensating LGBTQ+ creatives, artists, influencers, consultants and other third-party professionals to support and add credibility to the work.
- Fund and support LGBTQ+ organizations: Especially if planning to sell a Pride product or service, ensure there is a strong give-back component to a charitable partner and the team is prepared to acknowledge the total donation being provided, if it’s not made public. This relationship should be viewed as an integrated partnership — whether the partner be national, local, focused on advocacy, or direct service. There is also no reason to limit such partnerships to one single organization. Charitable partners should be brought into the planning of the campaign or program as early as possible and granted an opportunity to inform and guide the work as a true social impact partner. Allow them to share insights and feedback that can be turned into strategy, creativity, and action unique to how your brand should support the LGBTQ+ community.
- Audit other partnerships and activity: Examine other brand and corporate associations — from media buys to talent relationships to global activity — for any connections with individuals, companies, platforms or nations perceived to be anti-LGBTQ+. Working with public advocacy organizations, like HRC or GLAAD, can lend authenticity to corporate actions.
- Think, plan and activate beyond Pride Month: To avoid rainbow capitalism, engagement must extend beyond June. Organizations and brands need to consider how they acknowledge, represent and support this community year-round with additional campaigns, workplace initiatives and social impact partnerships. Otherwise, they risk being labeled performative or inauthentic. Credible engagement requires brand and corporate allies to look at their overall impact for this community.
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Powell Tate is the Public Affairs Unit of the Weber Shandwick Collective. For more information, visit: www.powelltate.com
