Something’s been playing on my mind since the end of Pride month in June. This year in particular, I noticed that more companies than ever were adjusting their logos and icons to include a rainbow background. A symbol of solidarity and inclusivity surely? But come the 1st of July, the rainbow promptly disappeared. The values and ideals of Pride Month have been overrun by marketing ploys in what is known as “rainbow-washing”. Rainbow-washing is when corporations appropriate the rainbow flag for their own financial gain, appearing to support the LGBTQIA+ movement without contributing anything substantial, if anything at all. The conversation around LGBTQIA+ issues stops when the calendar page turns over and big corporations no longer seem to care.
Take Adidas for example. Since 2015, Adidas has donned the rainbow logo for the month of June on several on their online platforms as well as releasing the “Pride Pack” featuring shoes, clothing and accessories in rainbow colours. The advertising campaign features LGBTIQA+ athletes such as Layshia Clarendon and Tom Daley and operates under the hashtag #LOVEUNITES. However, the money from the entire Pride collection is pocketed by the company, and Adidas is goes on to sponsor events such as the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, a country notorious for its anti-LGBT laws. The Queer community is targeted to increase purchases, simply by slapping a rainbow onto Adidas merchandise and calling themselves an ally. Other examples of rainbow-washing include, but aren’t limited to:
- Launch Pride initiatives only in the month of June
- Use LGBTQI+ team members as props in content
- Use the rainbow to push products
- Have corporate groups marching in parades
- Offer false incentives for queer talent
- Underpay queer talent
- Change logos temporarily
- Make empty gestures
- Foster an unsafe workplace for queer staff
- Don’t donate to LGBTQI+ causes while using the rainbow for marketing purposes
- Run a Pride campaign while contributing to anti-LGBTQI+ organisations/public figures
I believe that the rising of rainbow-washing across the world has sparked this year’s theme for Wear It Purple Day, “Start the Conversation…Keep It Going”. It is so important to continue the conversations around sexual orientation and gender identity, these topics cannot be confined to one month. Wear It Purple is encouraging rainbow community members to share their stories and experiences every day of the year, because being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community is ongoing. As an ally, it is also important to be a part of these conversations and support rainbow community members in continuing the conversation. Solidarity and inclusivity comes from everyday actions and support, not a logo painted as a rainbow.
