Somewhere Over the Rainbow-Washing: Sustaining Pride Month Efforts Beyond June 

By reframe52

It’s that time of year again: Pride Month! Storefronts are flooded with rainbow T-shirts and tumblers. Businesses spend days updating their social media to reflect “true support” of LGBTQ+ populations, and consumers are found asking themselves, “Which Pride gear should I get this year?!” 

Some call it Rainbow Capitalism – profiting off Pride Month-marketing under the ruse of support – while others deem the marketing blitz necessary for celebrating queer existence. Regardless of the standpoint, this annual surge in LGBTQ+ boosterism reeks of tokenism.

Tokenization is the practice of using particular identities (namely, marginalized ones) as symbols of inclusion, often to avoid perceptions of discrimination. For the LGBTQ+ community, Pride Month is an overt, month-long opportunity to raise awareness about the various needs and struggles queer folx face. Moreover, it serves as a time to celebrate the joy, triumphs, and progress LGBTQ+ communities have achieved in various social and political spheres.

But what happens when July rolls in? 

After the “Rainbow-Washing” associated with Pride Month, July 1st brings harsh clarity to the commodification of LGBTQ+ awareness. June is filled with rainbows, and the annual community events & parties feel like their own kind of cloud nine. After that, it stops.

Rainbow products leave the shelves, queer-supportive workplace policies remain nonexistent, and we quickly learn that the superficial displays of support had nothing to do with authentic efforts to address LGBTQ+ disparities.

As an equity-focused education company, reframe52 believes in programs and initiatives that elicit sustainable change. Pride Month is great, but if we really care about creating safer, more inclusive spaces for queer individuals, we insist that these efforts extend beyond the month of June. Furthermore, we insist these efforts extend beyond the lens of profit.

As an equity-focused education company, reframe52 believes in programs and initiatives that elicit sustainable change. Pride Month is great, but if we really care about creating safer, more inclusive spaces for queer individuals, we insist that these efforts extend beyond the month of June. Furthermore, we insist these efforts extend beyond the lens of profit.

Calls to action: How can your business move beyond rainbow capitalism to a place of genuine LGBTQ+ support?

1. Audit your allyship: Don’t just ask, “did we recognize Pride Month?” Instead, ask, “how are we supporting LGBTQ+ communities all year long?” Review the language, systems, events, benefits and behaviors circulating throughout your organization and make adjustments where necessary. Create queer accountability councils to assess impact, performative actions and guide more authentically inclusive strategies.
2. Establish policy change as your Benchmark: Swap rainbow logos and window-front pride stickers with actual metrics of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Implement long-term partnership models with queer organizations and mutual aid networks, and construct equity plans that include gender-inclusive language and address bathrooms, leave policies and clear pathways to fight discrimination. 
3.  Made Pride a launchpad for joy – not the peak: Host or support community-led events, workshops, art exhibits, reading groups, etc. that center queer joy, grief and vision. Rather than throwing in the rainbow towel every July, use June as a time to kickstart ongoing commitments like annual scholarship programs or monthly recognition opportunities for queer employees. Never stop looking for ways to enhance belonging & representation.
4. Participate in intersectional efforts: Advocate for local policies that expand tenant protections and eliminate housing discrimination. LGBTQ+ folx are disproportionately food insecure; sponsor or volunteer at food banks, or consider funding community fridges and gardens. Offer reimbursements for external trainings in LGBTQ+ equity, and design events with access in mind – not as an afterthought. Accessibility isn’t about checking boxes, but about rethinking structures that were never designed for all bodies and minds in the first place.
5. Build Year-Round Learning Structures:  Consider developing and presenting LGBTQ+ inclusion training that integrates topics like queer history, activism, and intersectionality into annual curricula and workplace development initiatives.

Weaving support and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community is an ongoing effort; we can’t stop at June and expect to improve outcomes for queer communities long-term. Let this month be the starting point for your commitment – because allyship is needed in the quiet months, during the policy meetings, the budget decisions and in our everyday interactions. Let’s build a world where LGBTQ+ people don’t just survive, but truly thrive.

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• reframe52 is a collective of educators, artists, strategists, and equity practitioners reshaping how people learn, connect, and lead. To learn more about their services, visit their website here.