Celebrating Pride Month without Pinkwashing

It’s June and that can only mean one thing: Happy Pride month! This month (especially in the US) is all about the empowerment, position and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community. On social media, you’ll probably have noticed that many companies and individuals are updating their logo to a rainbow version and paying more attention to the community in their posts. A good thing, but often with a downside.

First, a little history: because why is June Pride Month, anyway? During this month, the Stonewall riots in New York City are commemorated. These riots started on June 28, 1969 and marked the beginning of the Gay Liberation movement. Mainly (black) trans women like Marcia P. Johnson and lesbian women stood up against years of oppression for the LGBTQIA+ community. In June, these riots are commemorated and Pride demonstrations and celebrations take place in the U.S. and around the world.

On social media, Pride Month is also present. Companies in particular see this as a great opportunity to show their support for the community. For example, Meta announced a number of new stickers and AR filters, created in collaboration with LGBTQIA+ creators. TikTok is celebrating Pride with a takeover on Los Angeles Pride, highlighting LGBTQIA+-owned businesses on the app and an in-app #ForYouPride program that includes livestreams and playlists and spotlights creators from the Community.

LinkedIn comes up with perhaps the most important message for Pride Month: ‘Don’t stop posting about LGBTQIA+ rights and equality after the month is over! Pinkwashing during June is the opposite of authentic, and your audience will notice it.’ Pinkwashing means: promoting LGBTQIA+ rights in order to portray a positive image of your company, with the actual purpose of concealing something else. In other words, using the moment to boost your own reputation and sales.