3 Truths About Pride 2023
This has been one of the most unusual and polarizing Pride Months. We’ve seen everything from joyous celebrations to joyless brand actions and reactions. As we reach the halfway mark, Kirstyn Nimmo shares some perspective about what she’s seen so far:
What’s New
Despite the hype surrounding Web3 decreasing, Pride Month celebrations in virtual spaces are increasing. For example, Nyx Professional Makeup and Urban Decay (in partnership with Ulta Beauty) both launched Pride-themed games on Roblox this month, extending the reach of their support of the LGBTQ+ community and enabling them to engage younger consumers, like Gen-Z. It’s important to note that games do not stand alone — they appear to be grounded in year-round financial support of community-focused nonprofits. For Nyx and Urban Decay, donations support the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Stonewall Foundation, respectively. This is important because the LGBTQ+ community faces significant discrimination that can impact mental health, safety, and so much more, and financial support is an important part of changing that.
What’s Trending
This Pride Month, it’s inspiring to see some brands celebrating people within the LGBTQ+ community who often go overlooked. Lime, an electric scooter rental company, has added pride flags to its vehicles, but chose to use the progress flag — which includes additional colors that represent the trans community, people of color and those impacted by the HIV/AIDS crisis — instead of the traditional flag. Visible by Verizon launched a campaign featuring a game show with LGBTQ+ elders as contestants and featuring questions about queer history. These examples are demonstrations of support for queer people whose intersectional identities compound the discrimination they experience and suggests that brands are beginning to learn more about all of the people we celebrate during Pride month.
What’s Missing
Brands have come a long way in their support of the LGBTQ+ community, but recent events prove that many still have much to learn about impactful allyship. Commitments to marginalized communities should be part of a brand’s identity and purpose, and a brand’s allyship efforts should not be reversed overnight. It’s important that brands double down on their allyship efforts when they are challenged and become comfortable with the fact that they may lose some customers as a result. However, inclusivity is proven to drive the bottom line and is a requirement for our next largest group of consumers, Gen Z, so brands can rest assured that their gains will be greater than their losses. Instead of questioning their public commitments to the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, they may want to think more about the kinds of people they want as customers.
