Annually, these brands consult (read: tokenize) a fraction of the LGBTQIA+ community for marketi ng initiatives during the month of June.
Living under capitalism means that calling for an end to this practice is unfathomable. Walmart changed its social media presence to be rainbow-themed, and Amazon sets up a special shop for rainbow themed items. Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot and AT&T poured money into the coffers of Republicans who voted against the Equality Act. Users online noticed this, and rightfully clowned the company for only being in it for the money where it was “safe” to support.Īnd Bethesda is not alone by any means - The Guardian in 2021 reported on nine companies that “celebrated” Pride while simultaneously donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to anti-gay politicians. Each of its regional twitter accounts underwent a yassification… Except for their Russian, Middle Eastern and Turkish accounts. Take Bethesda, for example: In June 2020, the video game publisher known for famed franchises like DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein and more began changing its Twitter profile pictures to a rainbow variant. Some companies make it quite easy to find out. The abrupt discontinuity leads many to right- fully consider, where do the motivations of such companies lie? Is it genuine support for the LGBTQIA+ community, or is it just a desire to roll out good PR and make money from a marginalized group? It’s hilarious to see companies yassify their online presence just to swap them back to their straight counterparts the minute the clock hits July 1. The online LGBTQIA+ community finds this amusing at times, often creating memes and counter-merchandise as an ironic commentary on this phenomenon. Worst of all? The corporate social media profile pictures that look as though a unicorn vomited on them. Instead, we see rainbow flags in windows, pronoun pins for sale. We should be honoring the role of aforementioned Black and brown trans* women on the road to acceptance. For those unaware, Pride Month celebrates the Stonewall Inn Riots, which took place at the Stonewall Inn in June 1969.
You might have heard the terms “pink capitalism”, “pink-washing” (à la whitewashing or greenwashing) or my personal favorite, “homocapitalism.”Ĭorporations that engage in this marketing strategy turn the very people they claim to support into markets, ignoring historic struggles for acceptance and the work of countless Black and brown trans* women in creating Pride.Īnd this work should not go unrecognized. Via an overwhelming and frankly nauseating display of commercialization, corporations year after year commodify a core part of a marginalized group’s identities. Queer individuals the world over rejoice every June not just because of this landmark Supreme Court decision, but also because what better pastime is there than to dunk on how every company decides to pander to the Community TM?
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