The rainbow flag, a sign of hope, deserves more respect from brands
It’s time to end surface-level, performative allyship
(This article was originally published in AdAge in October 2021 and has been reprinted here with permission.)
Picture a gigantic “Pride” poster suspended above a row of colored T-shirts in a well-known high street store. The tees are plain and absent any indication of who designed them, whether the shop is fundraising for a certain cause or what shoppers are even supposed to feel proud of in the first place. The brand has simply stacked its products on a table in a vague approximation of a rainbow and claimed LGBTQ+ allyship—just like that.
It’s a disturbing set-up and one that I see increasingly often. Everywhere I look, I feel like brands are using rainbow flags to monetize a marginalized community—pulling the (polychromatic) wool over our eyes without putting in even basic levels of work in advance.
I work in retail. I know every brand has a calendar of events, from Pride month to Transgender Awareness Week, and the power of the ‘‘pink pound’’ is well documented. But when allyship is all about optics, nobody benefits. Today’s customers are discerning: they can tell when a bunch of T-shirts have been shaped into a rainbow at the last minute, and know they deserve better than that.
It’s not hard to use the rainbow flag in a thoughtful, positive way. Experience tells me that when a brand does its research, it strengthens relations with customers of all demographics – and it boosts sales too.
Instead of slapping a token sticker of support in their shop windows, here are a few steps I wish every brand would take:
Do your homework
If you don’t know what a symbol stands for, why are you using it?
For people within the LGBTQ+ community, the rainbow flag is a symbol of pride, love and unity. It represents security, safety and love, and reminds us that we are not alone. If our flag becomes little more than a fashion statement, how will we know where our safe spaces are? How do we know your brand truly has our backs?
To support a cause, you need to understand it. Start by reading “Queer X Design” by Andy Campbell, “The Gay Agenda” by Ashley Molesso and Chessie Needham, and “Pride: The Story of the LGBTQ Equality Movement” by Matthew Todd. And when you’re finished, pass them on to colleagues.
Take it seriously
I have never been as worried about being a part of the LGBTQ+ community as I am right now – and I say that with all the privilege of a white man. Anti-LGBTQ+ violence hit its highest point in a decade in Europe and Central Asia in 2022, while UK Home Office statistics from the same year showed hate crimes against people based on sexual orientation had doubled in four years. Across the pond, over 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures (a record), with 70 being enacted in law (another record).
It is not hyperbole to state that thousands of people have died because of what the rainbow flag stands for. The least you can do is treat it with respect.
Talk to your customers
Whether you prefer social media posts or actual posters, stories printed on shoe boxes or sewn into labels, you have a responsibility to inform your customers about the cause you’re encouraging them to support.
Nike’s 2019 “BETRUE” campaign was a brilliant example, including the history of the rainbow flag on all its packaging. On the other hand, while Calvin Klein’s 2020 #proudinmycalvins campaign featured LGBTQ+ creatives, it didn’t provide the necessary context to the artists’ stories. CK dropped what could have been a bombshell campaign, but didn’t educate anyone on its importance, even though the audience was right there.
Commit to the cause
If you’re hanging a rainbow flag over the counter to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in your U.K. stores, are you doing the same in Singapore?
Homosexuality is still criminalised in 64 countries, but as a brand, you don’t get to pick and choose where you want to be our ally. Sure, it might affect your sales in some locations, but you owe it to your LGBTQ+ customers to show your support in the places where they need it the most. (This kind of true commitment to our cause will only benefit your brand back home.)
Lead change internally
Before you even think about creating a multicoloured marketing strategy, consider the policies you have in place to support your own team. As the CEO or creative director, have you added your preferred pronouns to your LinkedIn profile and email signature so that your staff will feel comfortable doing the same? When did you last update the gendered language in your staff handbook? Are you offering fair family leave to all prospective parents, and making sure everyone has somewhere safe to go when they need the loo?
You don’t need to shout about the policies you put in place; word will spread.
Ask for help
You’re not in this alone, and there’s no shame in paying for professional support. Wherever you’re based, there are LGBTQ-led agencies and consultants who specialise in helping brands shift their allyship from something that’s sort-of superficial to something practical and permanent.
Ultimately, my message to brands is simple. If you can’t stand behind something properly and permanently, please stay away from it. But if you truly want to support the LGBTQ+ community and use our flag, at least take responsibility and educate yourself on what it means.