While June is traditionally thought to represent the commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which in turn started the LGBTQ+ Rights movement we are familiar with today, its original meaning is hard to trace amongst the flood of rainbow logos and bright coloured packaging used by various companies in the form of ‘support’. An allegiance to the movement is marked by multicoloured hues adorning as many logos, accessories and landmarks you can think of. The issue lies in the fact that although these tangible items allude to support, there is a significant lack of constructive action taken by companies to truly stand by the LGBTQ+ community.
WHAT IS RAINBOW-WASHING?
According to Audrey Hickey, ‘rainbow washing’ is defined as: ‘the act of using or adding rainbow colours and/or imagery to advertising, apparel, accessories, landmarks, etc. in order to indicate progressive support for LGBTQ equality (and earn consumer credibility) – but within a minimum of effort or pragmatic result.’
WHY IS RAINBOW-WASHING DETRIMENTAL?
Larger brands and companies choosing to rainbow-wash their products allows them to profit off the experiences of queer individuals without actually taking any responsibility for the role in any injustice they face. It dismisses the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community and places them in a position of exploitation as opposed to queer liberation. Rainbow-washing is detrimental in the sense that it ignores long histories of LGBTQ+ struggles in the name of marketing and capitalism.
The pride flag, originally a symbol of queer resistance and solidarity in the face of tyranny, has become watered down to a mere marketing tool through heavy monetisation. This has been noted by activists such as @justiceaudre, who comments upon both the ‘beautiful [symbolism] and meaningful history’ of the rainbow flag as well as its ‘watered down and commodified’ state.
In addition to this, well-intentioned people become misled into believing they are purchasing from brands that support the LGBTQ+ movement when in reality they are lining the pockets of multibillion dollar corporations. Corporations who often donate to antigay politicians or fail to support the welfare of their LGBTQ+ workers.
“QUEER LIBERATION, NOT RAINBOW WASHING”
EXAMPLES OF RAINBOW-WASHING:
British retailer, Marks & Spencer decided to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community in 2019 by creating a ‘lettuce, guacamole, bacon and tomato’ sandwich. They were eviscerated on social media for their low-effort allusion to support for the community. To put it simply, it was exploitation in pretty rainbow packaging: reducing a marginalised group to food item. Fortunately, all profits from the sandwich were donated to charities dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth, particularly the homeless.
Burger King restaurant on San Francisco’s Market Street decided to introduce a “Proud Whopper” in celebration of the city’s 44th annual Gay Pride Parade. They felt it was enough to simply take their original whopper and package it in a rainbow wrapper with the tagline: ‘We Are All The Same Inside’. While the sentiment is somewhat there, donating their profits from the burger to LGBTQ+ charities would be a better symbol of support.
BMW, a billion-dollar automobile manufacturer, uses a simple multi-coloured pride themed logo to show their support on their official Instagram page. However, this ‘pride theme’ only extends to certain BMW accounts as it is nowhere to be found on the pages of countries that criminalise homosexuality, such as BMW Saudi Arabia or BMW Indonesia. This illustrates the superficial nature of the company’s ‘support’ for the LGBTQ+ community and shows that there are limits to its beliefs regarding LGBTQ+ rights.
HOW CAN EVERYONE BE AN ALLY?
Start by the learning the history of the Pride movement and key figures.
Organise ‘Queer Sensitisation’ workshops
Contribute proceeds to the queer-owned business, NGOs, and others.
Design and enforce queer-inclusive policies (where members of the community are directly involved in the policy-making decisions)
Support (local) initiatives
Work together with local organizations supporting the community
Support the LGBTQ+ community throughout the year, do not limit your time to June
Encourage team members to display their pronouns in company communications and channels
LGBTQ+ OWNED BUSINESSES WORLDWIDE:
CANADA:
SOAP (Clothing)
instagram: @operation_soap
RC Squared Creations (Jewellery/Accessories)
instagram: @rcsqauredcreations
INDIA:
Karesin (Jewellery)
instagram: @karesin_india
Angelo Vegan Cheese (Food)
instagram: @angelovegancheese
Cool Indie Shit (Jewellery)
instagram: @coolindieshit
Magikian (Candles/Artwork)
instagram: @magikian__ / @magi.kian
ST. MAARTEN
Mama’s Cakes (Food)
Kyro’s Kustomz (Jewellery)
instagram: @kyrokustomz
UK
Candy Goblins (Jewellery) instagram: @candygoblins
Limbo (Candles)
instagram: @limbocandles
Son of Saturn (Candles/Crystals)
instagram: @sonofsaturnco
PROUD Beer (Alcohol)
instagram: @proudbeeruk
USA
OTHERWILD (Apparel)
instagram: @otherwild
Republic Restoratives (Alcohol)
instagram: @republicrestoratives
Me-est Me Journal (Stationery)
instagram: @me.est.me
JZD (Apparel)
instagram: @shopjzd
Pride Lips (Beauty)
instagram: @pridelips
SOURCES
Avani Raj, et al. “What Is Rainbow Washing And How Is It Detrimental To Pride Movement?” ED Times | Youth Media Channel, 12 June 2021, edtimes.in/what-is-rainbow-washing-and-how-is-it-detrimental-to-pride-movement/.
Czepanski, Daya. “Rainbow Washing Is A Thing, Here's Why It Needs To Stop.” Urban List, 3 June 2021, www.theurbanlist.com/a-list/rainbow-washing.
Ennis, Dawn. “Don't Let That Rainbow Logo Fool You: These 9 Corporations Donated Millions To Anti-Gay Politicians.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 June 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstaceyennis/2019/06/24/dont-let-that-rainbow-logo-fool-you-these-corporations-donated-millions-to-anti-gay-politicians/?sh=1eea315214a6.
Hickey, Audrey. “Have You Been Tricked by Rainbow Washing?” Medium, Medium, 8 July 2020, medium.com/@audreyhickey/have-you-been-tricked-by-rainbow-washing-920b5f91377f.
Kim, Michelle, et al. “10 Queer-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Gifts for the Holidays and Beyond.” Them., www.them.us/story/queer-owned-small-business-fashion-accessories-gift-guide.
Staff, WIRED. “The Problem With the 'Rainbow-Washing' of LGBTQ+ Pride.” Wired, Conde Nast, www.wired.com/story/lgbtq-pride-consumerism/.
Taylor, Kate. “Walmart, McDonald's, and Amazon Are among Companies Celebrating Pride after Donating Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars to Politicians Who Voted against the Equality Act.” Business Insider, 5 June 2021, www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/walmart-mcdonalds-and-amazon-are-among-companies-celebrating-pride-after-donating-hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-to-politicians-who-voted-against-the-equality-act/articleshow/83260999.cms.
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