Throughout June, ads from Pride branded images appear on TVs, billboards, and especially on social media streams.  Companies ranging from local businesses to multinationals are launching new Pride-themed products and adding rainbow decorating touches to their logos, all in the name of the LGBTQ alliance.
But if a company’s policies, products and policies during the other 11 months of the year are not in line with its colorful Pride ads, they are more and more likely to be called for “rainbow washing” – public appearances support for the LGBTQ community that is temporary and not supported by action.
“When companies try to promote their own agenda while engaging the community, these are the (campaigns) that drive me crazy,” says Horner, who is gay.
But his feelings on the subject are not black and white.  He believes that there is value in marketing and advertising campaigns during Pride month, especially if there is some nuance, noting that the show is especially useful for people who may live in rural areas, feel alone or not feel completely comfortable with it. that is still.
Horner is not the only one who finds the issue different.
“I think sponsorships from big companies can often be beneficial for queer creators, and financial support in this regard can often take us to the next level,” says dragperformer Kendall Gender.  “I do, however, have a problem when (sponsorships are) authentic.”
Gender is partnering with Canadian cosmetics company Annabelle for a Pride collection and campaign this year.  Annabelle says donations will be made to Rainbow Railroad, an organization that helps LGBTQ people escape violence and persecution in their home countries.
Marketing observers agree that authenticity matters and that Pride Month campaigns can serve a positive purpose, but there must be substance behind them.
Scott Knox is the founding president of PrideAM, an organization that works to ensure that LGBTQ people are more visible in marketing offices and that the portrayal of the advertising community is not one-dimensional.
He notes that the Canadian advertising industry tends to do a better job compared to other markets in which it has worked, in terms of ensuring authentic LGBTQ representation, particularly in Pride.
“In Canada, we’re part of the web of how brands talk (consumers) and sell products,” he says all year.
At the same time, he says big companies need to think about whether they really value the LGBTQ community or just trying to make money when Pride Month begins, pointing to the example of a hypothetical business that adds rainbows to a business sector in Gay Village of Toronto during Pride month, but not at any other location and at any other time.
“They are safe in the community, but will they do something in another country, in another city, at a different time of year other than Pride Month?”  He says.
Craig Pike, owner of Craig’s Cookies, points to a level of shallowness and lack of understanding on the part of some of the larger organizations he has encountered.  He says he came to his small business, located in Gay Village, Toronto, for free cookies for their Pride campaigns instead of paying for them.
“Banks, hotels and other huge food brands have approached us, asking us to donate cookies for their Pride events,” he says.  “In my opinion, if you want to support small queer businesses during Pride, put your money where your mouth is.”
The cookie business makes its own efforts year-round by hiring different groups of employees to better represent the people it bakes for, ensuring it is always visibly queer and learning how it can do best for marginalized people in the wider LGBTQ community.
For larger companies, there are some easy policy and system actions that can be implemented long before Pride that represent tangible support for the LGBTQ community, says Feminuity co-founder and CEO Sarah Saska.  Femininity helps organizations improve their efforts for diversity and integration.
Stresses the importance of creating data collection tools for customers and employees that are not limited to gender and sexuality, so that there is a better understanding of who people are and what they need, and to help the company determine if its products include exclusions.
Another example is the benefits, in particular, of working with health and insurance providers to extend insurance to cover gender-confirmed medical care for trans and non-transsexuals.  Making sure dress codes are not gendered is another easy starting point, he adds.
This is just the beginning, of course.  Saska says consulting with the LGBTQ community to see what other actions are beneficial and whether a business’s plans are really useful, necessary or useful can help a lot.
At the end of the day, Horner believes that being a progressive company goes beyond a checklist that must be satisfied during Pride month.
“Being progressive is a way of being.  “If you really want to do something, you just have to do it.”