Pride Month and False Support

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As I’m sure you’ve seen somewhere by now, June is pride month. While this month dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community is important and celebrates the impact of LGBTQ+ people on the world, many companies are turning it into a branded holiday. Brands including Nike, JCrew, SoulCycle, McDonalds, H&M, Lululemon, Nordstrom, Adidas, and Bloomingdale’s. Additionally, President Trump tweeted a pro-LGBTQ+ tweet that basically goes against everything he has said about the community in the past.
In my opinion, I do not think companies should be taking advantage of the pride month for profit if their proceeds from the products that are pride themed do not go back to the LGBTQ+ community. I think that companies are using this month as a way to gain credibility with their consumers and become viewed as a good, inclusive brand rather than because they truly care about the LGBTQ+ community. And, while not all brands are using this month and pride products for extra publicity, I think that the number of brands who don’t truly hold the LGBTQ+ community up with their values should not be able to take advantage of this month like this.



Also, I think that President Trump’s tweet was also entirely for publicity purposes. His public distaste for the LGBTQ+ community has been a big unifying point for many of his followers, but also has brought on strong negative feelings towards him from the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. Trump has even gone as far as to attempt to ban transgender people from joining and serving in the military, saying it would be a “disruption” and would cost too much money. Trump has also never before in his presidency acknowledged pride month (especially in a positive way) so this tweet that would have been seen as genuine or compassionate if made by someone who hadn’t constantly offended the LGBTQ+ community, has been interpreted mostly (and myself) as a publicity stunt, for lack of a better word.

Comments

  1. SOS BoosterMay 26, 2022 at 3:22 AM

    Are you looking for June pride month activities? If so, you've come to the right place! pride month activities for work are a great way of supporting the LGBT+ community and helping employees to feel appreciated.

    ReplyDelete

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