Beyond Rainbow-Washing: How Your Company Can Support the LGBTQIA+ Issues Uprising
As we enter the final days of Pride month celebrations, how do we assess whether a brand’s participation can be considered genuine support to drive a positive impact or shallow capitalization on the LGBTQIA+ community to boost the company’s bottom line? After all, Stonewall was a riot and uprising for equal rights, not a rainbow-painted party with merch for sale.
Inspired by Out Deputy Editor Fran Tirado, who kicked off the month with a compelling, real-talk Twitter thread, we turned his thoughtful points into a quick barometer that brands and their partners can treat as a rainbow north star for campaigns around LGBTQIA+ identities.
1.) Rainbow Washing
Simply updating the company logo or product to include a rainbow doesn’t have the same impact it used to years ago. From childhood bullying to trans murders and the restriction of rights/services across the country, there are serious issues affecting members of the community that have to be addressed through awareness and change. Today, brands need to take their support further than the rainbow facelift.
2.) Donating Proceeds
When crafting a LGBTQIA+ campaign, companies should partner with a local or national queer nonprofit — such as GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, It Gets Better Project or The Trevor Project — to have a financial give back component. Additionally, it is pertinent to have proactive transparency around the nonprofit partner and how much is being donated. At a minimum, the donation amount should be at least 15% of proceeds from sales to make an impact. However, nothing says support like expecting nothing in return and donating 100% of proceeds. If you’re not giving back to the community, you’re not doing it right.
3.) Move the Spotlight
It’s important to move the spotlight to people who live the issues you’re championing. When crafting a campaign, brands have to put the focus on the LGBTQIA+ community itself and take the company’s product out of the campaign equation, similar to the CEOs who spoke out and started the Don’t Ban Equality coalition. Push your brand to come up with new ways to speak up for marginalized communities by shifting the focus of the conversation back to their experiences and by illuminating queer faces that are intersectional from all LGBTQIA+ identities, races, abilities and more.
4.) Behind-the-Scenes
Just as important as the final products and campaigns that companies externally push out is the crucial need to have LGBTQIA+ people on staff and to collaborate with behind the scenes. It’s non-negotiable to have intersectional staff at all levels behind the scene. No two people have the same experience even if they have the same overarching identities.
Only then can the final work be genuine and reflect that the creative and production process employed members of the community with different lived experiences and perspectives. If you are not practicing diverse hiring and employee efforts, you probably don’t have any business promoting a Pride campaign.
5.) F#ck You, Pay Me
Don’t underpay queer people for their work even if you aren’t familar with their previous projects. LGBTQIA+ people are often underpaid only because their previous work wasn’t featured in a mainstream outlet or with a “household” name. Equal pay needs to go with equal rights.
6.) Be a Year-Round Ally
Pride is a natural time to support the LGBTQIA+ community yet it’s important for companies to find ways to show support and make an impact year round. From hosting internal conversations and employee resource group events as a company to organizing local community events and volunteer days, keep the love flowing.
While this year’s Pride month is coming to an end, July 1 is the perfect opportunity to kickoff your next LGBTQIA+ initiative. Start with being informed.
Jarryd Boyd, Account Strategy Supervisor, Brooklyn
Personal pronouns: he/him/his
