The Curious Incident of the Disappearing Flag in the Night Time

It was seven minutes after midnight. The rainbows which had decorated our screens, our phones, and our tablets, were gone. They had been in almost every window display, every logo, and every piece of packaging up and down the land. And now…nothing. Why? What did it all mean?

Terms such as ‘rainbow washing’, ‘rainbow capitalism’, or ‘pink washing’ are now widely talked about. They describe the performative facades taken by companies to cash in on Pride Month. Each year in June, there is a riot of colour on every marketing material imaginable. Platitudes such as ‘be proud!’, ‘be loud!’ or ‘be an ally!’ accompany these campaigns. The adornment of rainbows reaches fever pitch during London Pride before they disappear altogether. Now, people are asking some important questions: what comes after the rainbow? Why is support limited to June and not every day of the year? Are declarations of support reflected in the actions, structures, and policies of these organisations? What does the LGBTQ+ community have to say about this? Is space being provided to advocates of these communities in meaningful ways?

Let’s look somewhere over the rainbow, to see what the actual picture is.

There are numerous examples where companies don’t seem to do more than have a rainbow logo for one month before it’s back to business as normal. Some companies fly the flag and actively support politicians or countries that do not support LGBTQ+ rights. In the US last year, Walmart, Amazon, and McDonalds donated money to Republican politicians who voted against the Equality Act, despite running glossy pride campaigns. FIFA did the usual rainbow painting with accompanying statements only to hold the World Cup in a country where being gay is illegal and could lead to imprisonment or the death penalty. Some companies have taken an almost farcical approach. Ever heard of a gay mayonnaise called ‘gayo’? Or the LGBT sandwich? Rainbow crisps? This year in Austria, Burger King released two new burgers with either two tops or two bottoms. While many found this funny, do rainbow burgers with a rather confused sexual innuendo detract from what is, at its heart, a liberation movement?

So why do it? If these companies don’t walk the walk, why bother splashing rainbows everywhere? The most cynical view is - pride pays. They see that at the end of the rainbow, there is a pot of gold. Companies have realised that there are LGBTQ+ consumers out there who are more likely to be early adopters with disposable income. This is known as the ‘pink pound’ and is reportedly worth about £70 billion to British business. Granted, many companies do donate some of these profits to charities and organisations that champion LGBTQ+ rights, but is it enough? It would be disingenuous to state that intentions are only motivated by profit, as there are also plenty of people who genuinely want to support, they’re just not entirely sure how. In the current climate of culture wars, misguided campaigns have led to frenzied responses through social media. Perhaps they are afraid to do anything more radical than add a rainbow to their logo. The logos are loud, but the actions and voices are…pretty quiet.

But surely doing something is better than doing nothing? Absolutely! It does feel like progress to see mainstream companies openly embracing such an important movement. Pride is about denouncing shame, showing solidarity, and celebration. To LGBTQ+ youngsters, these rainbows might help them feel more supported at a time when being accepted by your family and community is still not a given. In a recent survey, the anti-abuse charity Galop found that a third of LGBTQ+ youngsters are facing abuse by their family members. These communities need support. There is still not adequate protection or representation in the laws and systems that govern our country. For example, the UK government has still not managed to ban conversion therapy despite recent promises. Furthermore, while our companies are chasing rainbows, LGBTQ+ persons are experiencing increasing levels of violence. In 2020-21, 19,765 LGBTQ+ hate crimes were recorded, a figure that has tripled over the last five years. Attacks are happening every day, and across the world, it is still illegal to be gay in 69 countries.

Therefore, the over-arching question is, what can companies do to help? Modern consumers can be mistrustful of tokenistic, empty gestures. The key is coming across as authentic. MAC makeup has a long history of actively supporting the LGBTQ+ community. During the height of the AIDS epidemic, at a time when homophobia was rife, MAC launched the ‘Viva Glam’ charitable campaign. This has since donated over $500 million to organisations that support LGBTQ+ rights. They have long been inclusive and promote ‘all ages, all races, all genders’. For the last two years, our majority queer agency Improper has worked with Brooklyn Brewery on #CreateSpace, an ongoing campaign that amplifies the voices of LGBTQ+ activists across the globe, funding grassroots activism through their partners The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. These stories shine a light on the very real threats faced by the community and how they intersect with other issues. When it comes to human rights, there needs to be a degree of seriousness and an understanding of the issues involved. But most importantly, these voices need to be heard.

So, to the companies who want to support, we invite you to listen.

If you’re going to engage with a movement started by activists, you actually have to be active. It’s a political issue so be political. Pride started with just 700 brave people gathering with the slogan ‘Gay is Good’ in the face of hostile police and the general public. It was the first LGBTQ+ freedom movement. Yes, it was a celebration, but the message was a political one – they wanted justice, freedom, and equality. This still applies today. If you are going to join this movement, listen to the voices who have the experience and authority to inform you. Ask yourself: are the people behind your campaigns representative and informed? Survey your staff, invest in training and bring people in who can help. And of course, go ahead and paint those rainbows but don’t stop there: amplify campaigns, adjust your power structures, and team up with LGBTQ+ companies. Go beyond the rainbow façade, think more critically, and stop playing it so safe. Rather than small, tentative steps and colourful empty gestures, take a bold leap over the rainbow. Be on the right side of it rather than hiding behind it – then we can all ‘be proud’.

IMPROPER would like to add that in our ever-changing times, we believe in listening to others, discussion, conversation and challenging ourselves.