Brands giving their logos the Pride rainbow treatment is little more than pinkwashing

June is Pride Month. These days and months for raising awareness can feel underwhelming. Many of these dedicated events were created to give much-needed space to an underrepresented issue, but sometimes they can end up taking a different turn. One thing is for sure: capitalism will get hold of it.

Enter the rainbow logo. Designed to celebrate the LGBT+ community, instead it’s now being used to commodify the movement, where its association has become more about buying a rainbow flag.

You’ll see the logo as you pop into Sainsbury’s for your shopping, or Tesco, or Wilko, as well as Walmart in the US. It goes far beyond shops though, as Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz and Unilever are just some of the other huge brands that get involved too. Go on Twitter, and it’s everywhere. I just did, and even the Canal and River Trust has a rainbow logo, whoever they are.

In my opinion, it’s a rather nauseating show of virtue-signalling, if ever there was one.

But what are these big corporations really doing to support the rights of the LGBT+ community? That is far harder to see. OK, some brands may tweet about the charities they’re partnering with and while that’s all well and good, it’s still pinkwashing – otherwise known as rainbow capitalism. And it’s offensive.

How inclusive are these brands really? Are there people from the LGBT+ community in senior roles? What about queer and transgender people of colour? This is the sort of information that should be shouted about. And if not, this is where the effort and time needs to go. Not in time spent on brand designs.

A pretty and bright logo isn’t going to change the hate that LGBT+ people face on a daily basis, which is even reported to be on the rise in Switzerland. According to Stop Hate UK, trans people are the most targeted group within the LGBT+ community. The Home Office recorded 2,630 hate crimes against trans people in 2021, which is up 16 per cent from the previous year. But the real figure is likely to be far higher, as many people don’t feel comfortable reporting the crimes.

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What’s even worse is the fact many of these brands don’t share the same sentiment in conservative countries. This just says: “We stand with you”, “we celebrate you” – but only in countries that accept you being gay or trans, thanks.

It makes the original sentiment worthless. How are people in the LGBT+ community supposed to believe these brands and their supposed solidarity if it only applies in certain places?

Instead of perpetuating rainbow capitalism, keep your logos the same. Work on actually pushing for change through positive activism for the rights of marginalised communities around the world, all year round. Then let us know about that.

Yours,

Emma Henderson

IndyBest editor

The Independent is the official publishing partner of Pride in London 2022