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Yesterday kicked off Pride Month, and, per usual, brands didn’t waste any time diving right into the celebration. From makeup brand Bliss to Converse sneakers, many companies are giving back to LGBTQ+ organizations in dollar form, per USA Today.
But in recent years, some LGBTQ+ community members have claimed Pride has become too corporate, donations or no donations.
- Last week, in a New York Times essay about police marching at Pride parades, Roxane Gay wrote that Pride sometimes feels “unrecognizable because it has gone so mainstream,” adding that it’s “frustrating that some corporations have commodified it, drenching their marketing materials with rainbow colors but doing little to celebrate and support the LGBTQ community during the rest of the year.”
- Rana Reeves, founder of agency RanaVerse, also has some issues with capitalism’s place in Pride. Reeves spoke to Ad Age last week about why the “traditional way of doing Pride” might not cut it this year. “You use the old rainbow. You may or may not bring out a product. You give 100K because it sounds big, five figures, to Glaad. You use a word like acceptance and maybe two white muscle queens and a drag queen. And it’s like, check.”
Bottom line: Like a regifted candle, donations can be appreciated without feeling genuine. If brands aren't trying to enact tangible change for this community, one and done checks can ring hollow.—PB