It’s June. Pride Month. A time of the year when companies come crawling out of the woodwork, splashing a colourful rainbow onto their logos or posting light-hearted jokes, trying to relate to the LGBTQ+ community and “do their bit.”
While some companies approach Pride in a way that genuinely supports the community and creates meaningful impact, many fall into the trap of ‘pink-washing’ or ‘rainbow-washing’. Pink-washing refers to when corporations use Pride for their own gain, without any lasting, meaningful action to support the community.
This can be something as simple as changing their logo to include a rainbow, claiming to represent the LGBTQ+ community – while simultaneously funding homophobic organisations or individuals.
For a month, they present themselves as allies, only to quietly revert to their original logo once Pride is over.
Allyship shouldn’t expire in July
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial for companies to show genuine support for the LGBTQ+ community. With the rise of hate crimes, especially targeting trans women, solidarity is desperately needed.
After the Supreme Court ruled in April that a person’s sex in the Equality Act only refers to their ‘biological sex’, what followed was deeply concerning: a wave of dangerous anti-trans rhetoric, fuelled by prominent voices such as JK Rowling.
This rhetoric puts lives at risk
Earlier this year, a new policy was passed in the United States requiring that the sex on renewed passports had to match the passport holder’s recorded sex at birth. This change exposes transgender individuals to discrimination and scrutiny during security checks and can compromise their safety.
Hunter Schafer, a transgender actress and star of Euphoria, expressed concern when she revealed that her new US passport lists her as male, despite identifying as a woman for over ten years.
Progress is slipping
The urgency of genuine support is reflected globally. Britain has dropped six places to 22nd on ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, marking its lowest ranking ever.
Now more than ever, symbolic gestures aren’t enough. Meaningful allyship and real action are critical.
