Rainbow-Washing During Pride Month: How to Spot It & And Which Brands Are Rising Above It

The month of June has finally arrived, which means my long-awaited favorite time of year is here: pride month. As a queer person, pride month means a lot of special things to me. But as a queer person highly aware of the way brands market to the LGBTQIA+ community during the month of June, pride month can feel confusing at times. (Don’t even get me started on Burger King’s pride campaign #fail).

When I first saw companies adding rainbows to their logos or share marketing tactics specifically targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, I naively bought into it. Those rainbows mean something special, and suddenly, there’s a whole month where company logos are covered in them. In a way, it can feel like these companies not only see you, but celebrate you for exactly who you are. 

But the truth is less warm and fuzzy than that. Instead of sincere allyship and support, many brands are actually involved in rainbow-washing – a tactic where brands use pride month as a way to bring in more money by capitalizing on our community. 

Just because a company slaps a rainbow on their logo for a month does not mean they support the LGBTQIA+ community year round.

According to Franchise Times, “if those rainbows aren’t coupled with meaningful actions, such as initiatives to ensure safe work environments for queer staff and donating to relevant causes, that’s called ‘rainbow washing’ and can actually be more harmful than helpful.”

I knew I wasn’t alone in experiencing this, so using SEEK’s #nofilter social listening approach, I listened in on what other folks in the LGBTQIA+ community had to say about rainbow washing, how to spot it, and which companies are authentically supporting and giving back to the queer community during the remaining 335 days in the year.

The LGBTQIA+ community is becoming more vocal in calling brands out for this type of false advertising. A rainbow – what once carried significant meaning for the community – now feels like something that can’t always be trusted. 

“Happy pride month yall🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 and f*ck rainbow capitalism. i ain't gonna support your company for this month while you pretend to care about our issues and then remain inactive so nothing changes.” -Twitter

“I'm over it. I'm over the performativity. I'm over brands and companies feeling like they can commercialize everything down to how we identify as people. I'm seeing so much of this right now with Pride, and I've had multiple conversations this week with people about companies' performative allyship. It's tiring - to constantly have to check a brand and make sure that they're truly doing the work. And then hold them accountable if they aren't.” -Instagram

The LGBTQIA+ community is encouraging all folks who celebrate pride month to look for brands actively supporting the queer community and what specifically to look for.

This includes brands that: 

• Donate to & support LGBTQIA+ organizations/non-profits/policies (beyond pride month)

• Are queer-owned and/or queer staffed

• Have anti-discrimination policies

• Have equal workers pay, inclusive sizing & diversity in models and marketing

“[LGBTQIA+] support, especially from companies, is not just a rainbow Twitter icon. It's equal pay for workers, anti-discrimination policies, and support for partners during crisis situations, among other things.” -Twitter

“Do they mention supporting [LGBTQIA+] AT ALL outside of one month a year? If the answer is no then they are capitalizing on it.” -Reddit

“And if allies are wondering how to do this- buy and promote rainbow/pride merch from queer creators before buying from Target or other big brands. Support your queer friends. Big companies aren’t sharing profits with the communities they’re ‘celebrating,’ they’re just making $.” -Twitter

All companies are looking to make a profit – plain and simple. But, which of those companies are not just capitalizing on their queer consumer market for the sake of marketing? Below is a list of brands that are deemed worthy of supporting this pride month (and beyond) according to the LGBTQIA+ community:

Levis

Known For: Gender-neutral clothing, actively donating to LGBTQIA+ organizations, diverse pride collection

Source: Instagram 

“happy pride to all reading and thanks @levis for always being supportive of the LGBTQ community.” -Instagram 

“Levis has created various pride collections that have continued to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. In their 202 collection, 100% of the proceeds from their pride collection went to OutRight Action International. This organization strives to end LGBTQ violence worldwide.” -Blog

Converse

Known For: Gender-neutral products, inclusive sizing, actively donating to LGBTQIA+ organizations, diverse pride collection

Source: Converse

“Converse has shown continued support of the LGBTQ community. It has donated to and shown support for LGBTQ organizations such as the It Gets Better Project, BAGLY, Ali Forney Center, and Out MetroWest, and its continued commitment to providing inclusive pride themed products fit for all members of the queer community.” -Blog

“Okay, it is pretty cool that you can customize your converse for pride. You can have bi, trans, pan, lesbian, non binary, and a couple other different designs on your shoe.” -Twitter

Human Kind

Known For: Gender-Neutral Swimwear, LGBTQIA+ owned, inclusive sizing & models

Source: Instagram

“I’ve been following them for some time and they really seem to be super inclusive to those who want gender neutral swimwear but still want to be covered” -Instagram

“real shout out to @HumankindSwim though for real because it's taken nearly 30 years for me to feel comfortable and myself in a bathing suit.” -Twitter

“Target was selling the @HumankindSwim swimsuit I've been eyeing all month and it makes me feel euphoric and even....body-confident???? Two-piece swimsuits haven't made me feel that way in forever 🥺” -Twitter

Automic Gold

Known For: Gender-Neutral Jewelry, LGBTQIA+ owned, inclusive sizing & models

Source: Instagram

“#PrideMonth is here and we're continuing to highlight some of our favorite LGBTQ+ businesses based in NYC to support year round: Founder AL Sandimirova creates jewelry from reclaimed gold, while creating a community safe for everyone, from no photoshop, accurate representation, and strong values of inclusivity and comfort. Their mission is to create fine jewelry for all genders and sizes, the only brand to stock rings in sizes 2 to 16. From their messaging on social media, to their models and photography, to the people in customer service, everything about the company feels warm, welcoming, and kind.” -Instagram

“💗 What we love: Recycled gold creating beautiful fashion jewelry. Featuring an amazing jewelry brand from a LGTBQ+ business owner 🌈” -Instagram

What are some brands you know of that are actively supporting the LGBTQIA+ community all year long? Share them with us!