Brands warned against abandoning Pride campaigns: ‘Visibility without protection is irresponsible’
As Pride Month gets underway, an increasing number of brands and retailers are facing criticism for retracting Pride campaigns and distancing themselves from LGBTQ+ influencers.
This not only isolates the community and leaves the door open to more homophobia, but also alienates both queer and straight consumers alike.
In recent years, a sizeable list of brands and retailers have faced backlash and boycotts from bigots over Pride merchandise, displays and working with LGBTQ+ influencers. These battle tactics during the so-called “war on woke” aren’t new, but what is alarming is how many brands and retailers are capitulating to the bigots and pulling Pride merchandise off the shelves or removing social media posts.
Despite Target, Bud Light and Innocent Drinks taking down tweets, merchandising and ‘apologising’ for their actions, the stats show that most people appreciate and value LGBTQ+ people being featured in advertising.
According to GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance survey, 75 per cent of straight people feel comfortable seeing LGBTQ+ in advertising. Along with that data point, 60 per cent of non-LGBTQ+ agree that seeing queer people in ads makes them more comfortable with people who are different from themselves.
“When people are exposed to LGBTQ people and experiences in media, it changes hearts and minds and shifts culture and sentiment,” a statement from GLAAD reads. “Measuring comfortability in media is a pathway to 100% acceptance for LGBTQ people.”
*“Visibility without protection is irresponsible”*
Kylo Freeman, founder and chief executive at For Them
For Kylo Freeman, a venture capitalist and the founder of chief executive of the queer wellness brand For Them, there’s a huge risk for brands when they turn their backs on the LGBTQ+ community. “In recent years there’s been pressure on corporations and brands to distance themselves from performative gestures of inclusivity, and many have been able to do so,” they state.
Freeman believes that when brands abandon collaborators and LGBTQ+ consumers due to backlash, it sets a dangerous precedent. They say that when companies back the LGBTQ+ community when there is an opportunity to profit then backtrack when homophobia and transphobia appear, it “insinuates that queer and trans lives are not worth protecting unless doing so is profitable.”
“Visibility without protection is irresponsible,” Freeman continues. “A more cynical read might see this as defaulting on the community whose identity they were intending to profit from.”
*Are brands ‘staying out of politics’ this Pride Month?*
Even ahead of the Target and Bud Light backlashes, advertising campaigns for Pride Month 2023 appear to be more subdued than in previous years. This could be due to the rampant anti-LGBTQ+ legislation plaguing the USA and the transphobia polluting social media platforms like Twitter. It could also be due to the overall uncertain economic climate in the UK and USA.
Motti, social media and communications lead at For Them, has personally experienced fewer collaboration opportunities for themselves as well as other queer creators. They say that in previous years they were turning down requests from brands and companies, but this year has been different.
“I’ve also heard the same from many drag artists who, in years prior, have their June calendars filled up by mid-May,” they admit. “This year, they’re struggling to get bookings at all outside of shows produced by their own community.”
Motti believes there are a few reasons for brands pulling back on Pride-related activations. Some are simply “staying out of politics” while others are keeping away to avoid being labelled as “performative.”
One thing Motti is certain of is that brands that do collaborate with LGBTQ+ creators aren’t supporting them when homophobia comes knocking, and “are quicker to appease the feelings of their conservative consumers than they are to champion the creators, artists, and celebrities from whose audiences they want money.”
*“The community and all of our intersectional identities are at the forefront of culture, fashion and language.”*
Kylo Freeman, founder and chief executive at For Them
Whatever the reasons brands do engage or disengage with Pride month campaigns, rainbow-washing often plays a part. To put it in simple terms, rainbow washing is when companies and brands use rainbow symbolism during June and the summer months to promote LGBTQ+ causes without actively supporting the queer community.
Motti believes that many companies only think of Pride as a celebration or a party, “when in reality, Pride is protest, Pride is fighting back.”
They also confirm what many LGBTQ+ people community believe – that the community deserves to be included in advertising campaigns all year round. “Queer and trans folks don’t go into hibernation on July 1st,” they say. “We exist and hold value year-round.”
They add: “We have invaluable perspective, lived experiences, skills, and ideas to offer.”
Kylo Freeman agrees that “the LGBTQIA+ community and all of our intersectional identities are at the forefront of culture, fashion and language.”
They conclude: “By excluding those perspectives and aligning themselves more closely with a conservative point of view, brands risk getting left behind in this shift towards diversity and inclusion.”