Rainbow Washing: When Pride Becomes a Marketing Gimmick
- martinagvisionfact
- Sep 30
- 3 min read
Author: Gabriela Kalinová
Introduction
Pride parade is a celebration of love and uniqueness, but also a demonstration for equal rights, respect, and an end to homophobia. Pride month is celebrated in June and celebrates all LGBTQ+ people. Pride Month is accompanied by several events and ends with the Pride parade as the main event. The parade is held in many countries as a reminder of how many queer people there are and that they deserve equal rights and treatment. These events are also an opportunity for many companies to get involved and show their support as allies of the queer community. But are they really allies, or are they just trying to improve their image?
Rainbow washing
What is rainbow washing and why is it bad? Rainbow washing is a marketing practice used by companies during Pride month. Companies present themselves as allies, place rainbow flags on their websites, organize campaigns to support Pride, but that's where it ends. It ends as soon as June ends, and companies don't talk about it until the following June. Through this practice, they try to gain the favor and support of the queer community, but they have no real interest in helping the community. They just want new followers and to be perceived as progressive companies. Pride campaigns must be accompanied by financial support for the community and activist organizations. However, many companies only profit from their campaigns and sales of rainbow products and do not give back to the community. It has been proven that many companies, such as Toyota, Amazon, and AT&T, have donated more than $1.1 million to political candidates with anti-LGBTQ agendas.
Why companies do it
One of the main reasons is profit. Pride Month can be an interesting business and commercial opportunity. Just hang up a rainbow flag somewhere and your company will become more interesting to the queer community. Placing rainbow flags on your products, such as shoes, will also bring you considerable profit. Or you can share activist statements or the official Pride page on your social media to be perceived as allies. Isn't it easy? It's definitely a good PR move that can get you a lot of new followers and attention. However, I think most companies forget that not everyone will mindlessly buy their rainbow products. If people care about the queer community, they will be interested in whether the company is serious and whether it has any historical evidence of further support beyond Pride Month. What initiatives does it support and where are its investments consistent?
What authentic support looks like
The most important thing is to be consistent. Don't stop your support in June. Organize campaigns or fly flags throughout the year. Your financial support for the community should be transparent. Take a look at your employees. Do you have queer employees on your team who work on campaigns? Speak out against policies and laws that target the LGBTQ+ community. Promote equality and talk about discrimination in healthcare, workplaces, schools... Collaborate with queer creators, artists, and businesses.
Examples of good queer allies
Levi’s is known as a good ally of the LGBTQ+ community thanks to its Pride collections, creation of safe spaces, and donation of more than $100,000 to Outright International. Calvin Klein runs significant Pride campaigns and donates funds to organizations such as The Trevor Project and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund. Hollister focuses on gender-neutral Pride merchandise and significant ongoing funding for GLSEN, which advocates for LGBTQ+ students in schools. Marmite has partnered with the Elton John AIDS Foundation to launch Pride-themed products in support of HIV/AIDS charities. Abercrombie & Fitch offers gender-inclusive Pride collections and makes significant donations, raising over $5 million for The Trevor Project. Other companies include Guess, World Disney Word, Converse, Diesel, Nivea, Apple, Puma, and many more...
Conclusion
Rainbow washing turns Pride from a movement for equality into a sales tactic. Pride should honor the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, not just increase profits in June. True allyship means year-round actions such as donations, inclusive policies, and amplifying the voices of the queer community. Consumers can see through empty gestures, and brands that fail to back up their words risk losing trust. Real support lies in consistency and advocacy, not just rainbow logos. True allies demonstrate their commitment long after Pride month is over.
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