How To Recognize Rainbow Washing During Pride Month

Pretty Caucasian woman at the beach smiling at camera.

Is it just me or does EVERYONE seem really into Pride this year? Specifically companies heavily leveraging the Pride (and other) flags and colors across their brands to show inclusivity and belonging?

I’ve been gay for… well let’s see I’m 37 so… well, 37 years now and WOW- this year’s Pride merch is chef’s kiss! Damn it’s good! 🥰

But like is it really good? Or are companies becoming savvier in strategically incorporating the rainbow colors into their marketing and advertising approach during Pride month in what is now being called Rainbow Washing?

Simple answer- Yes. So let’s start with a definition.

What Is Rainbow Washing?

According to Urban Dictionary (yes, it really was the best holistic definition I could find) Rainbow washing is “The act of using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to advertising, apparel, accessories, landmarks… in order to indicate progressive support for LGBTQ equality (and earn consumer credibility) — but with a minimum of effort or pragmatic result.”

So what does this mean? Real talk- the LGBTQ community has money and we aren’t afraid to spend it. In fact, I learned the purchasing power of LGBTQ consumers (referred to as the pink dollar) was worth upwards of $1 trillion in 2019.

So if we got the money, companies are using Rainbow Washing as the honey to get us to spend. And dang y’all, it’s working!

Pride is big business and companies are making good money off all things Rainbow.

What The Rainbow Flag Represents To Me

When I was just but a wee young gay babe, coming into my own and starting to identify with the community, the Rainbow flag represented something significant to me. Back then it was a bit of a secret language- if you knew, you knew.

If the Rainbow flag was flying at a coffee shop, a bookstore or even your dentist office you knew you were safe, you were seen, you were heard and you belonged. You were amongst your own or at least those who supported you. And wow- that was a fabulous (and rare) feeling.

I remember when I was first coming out- I’m an elder Millennial and most of my gay mentors and guides were Boomers- someone once asked me if I was a friend of Dorothy. I had no idea who this Dorothy was but I was an insecure teenager, and by God, I wasn’t about to look like I had no friends in front of these seemingly amazingly powerful, authentic gay figures in my life. So I did what anyone would do, I lied and said yes.

I soon learned this phrase dates back to at least World War II, when homosexual acts were illegal in the United States. Stating that, or asking if, someone was a "friend of Dorothy" was a euphemism used for discussing sexual orientation without others knowing its meaning. Truth bomb dropped.

So I’m sitting here at 18 or 19 years old thinking wow, not only did I need to figure out how to embrace being gay and what that was going to look like in my life but now I had to learn a new language too? Great. Cool, cool, cool.

How We Use The Rainbow Flag And Colors Now

The Rainbow flag, the secret language, and all the other ways that help queer people self-identify and find other queer people is unfortunately a necessary byproduct of not living in an open and accepting society. But they are ours. They are part of our community. Some people love it, some people hate it but we keep it because it is who we were then and thus, who we are now.

As times have progressed, the Rainbow colors and the like have become a way allies and companies show their support and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. Great, wonderful, we love that! But like how are you supporting our community?

As Nick Wolny pointed out in a recent Entrepreneur.com article, “We know that we exist. So we want to see more than awareness in your pride marketing; we want to see allyship and innovation.”

Audrey Hickey, an LGBTQ copywriter wrote on a Medium piece in 2019:

“As a member of the LGBTQ community, I didn’t need much convincing to see how opportunistic rainbow washing is. But if you’re not a part of the community, you might be wondering should I really be surprised? Aren’t corporations always doing sh!t like this to make money? So they splash a little color on their logo and introduce a rainbow t-shirt— what’s the harm in that? The harm comes from the intention and the pandering.”

So where is all this leading? Do we (the queer community) not want companies and allies using the Rainbow flag and colors to show their support? No, we absolutely do- we do it ourselves to find each other, be seen, be prideful and feel safe buuuuut it needs to be done in the right way.

3 Ways To Find True LGBTQ Friendly (and Supportive) Companies

Tag in real Queer people: Instead of rainbow-washing a community’s needs, join up with a community leader who can speak to important issues that are real and pressing to the LGBTQ+ community in an informed and compelling way. LinkedIn did a fantastic job of this with a short video featuring RuPaul in their Conversations for Change series.
Recognize the 11 other months of the year outside of June: While June is THE month for the Queer community to get our turn in the spotlight, there are loads of other visibility days worth writing down. I personally enjoy the list lgbtlifewestchester.org has put together. We are Queer all year long, no need to limit support just to June!
National is good- local is better: If you don’t have any local LGBTQ+ organizations, go national BUT if you have a local chapter of Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, GLSEN etc. get involved! Meet new people and make an effort to connect with folks you might have never had the chance to otherwise. From here, you can get the real tea on which companies are doing meaningful and impactful equity and inclusion work in your area and who are the ones throwing a rainbow flag up and calling it a day.

Do you research folks. Don’t rely on what you hear or see just in the month of June. Check company websites, social media, news articles and the HRC corporate index before spending your money.

It matters! It matters to me as a lesbian, to my marriage and my gay wife and all the people that need support. Your allyship matters. You matter to us.

Be Kind

Lastly, be kind. To my Queer fam- above all else, PLEASE be kind to each other and our allies. Allies- be kind to yourself and know this is a small step in a long journey to becoming a more evolved and accepting human being.

It takes time.

You are going to get it wrong sometimes. It’s ok. Stay humble, stay kind, ask questions, show respect and keep SHOWING UP. Homophobia isn’t a gay problem, it’s a straight problem that needs straight people showing up and challenging beliefs, conceptions and expectations.

As Nick Wolny says, “We know that we exist. We want to see allyship and innovation.”

We want your partnership. Let’s do this together.

PS- You will have noticed I use different labels in this piece to refer to the gay, queer, lesbian, LGBTQ+ etc. etc. community but this is just a sampling (and personally preferred or relevant to me) of what you could use.

Don’t know how to refer to someone you know is homosexual? JUST ASK. How I wrote this felt right to me- it won't be for everyone.

Just like with pronouns- if you identify yours first when meeting someone for the first few times, it opens the door for the other person to feel safe and accepted enough to disclose their identity to you. Just ask, get permission and show respect to those around you. That’s true inclusion.

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Meet The Writer!

Hi! My name is Nadia Ibrahim-Taney and I help people design happy and fulfilling careers through authentic career coaching. My expertise includes career exploration guidance, resume writing, interview prep and LinkedIn profile optimization. My pronouns are She/ Her/ Hers and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I focus on how diverse identities impact and influence folks holistically and professionally. Please connect with me on LinkedIn or at Nadia@beyonddiscoverycoaching.com