Around the world, Pride Month is celebrated in June. So it was only right to make PRIDE our theme for the month.

Pride and the raising of awareness of LGBTQIA+ rights has gained popularity since the Pride protests and events first started taking place, and many would argue that the cause has been watered down, not least by corporations co-opting the rainbow flag and essentially jumping on the band wagon. This month’s Diversity Dictionary words looked critically at the roots of Pride and how it shows up today.

PRIDE

Pride (with a capital ‘P’) is a social and political movement that promotes and celebrates the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and all people who exist along the gender, sex and sexuality spectrum.

Pride Month is held in June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in New York City on June 28, 1969, which most historians consider to be the birth of the modern LGBTQIA+ movement (although there were many protests and riots that came before). At the time, police raids on bars catering to LGBTQIA+ patrons were common in the States. But that night, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back. While historical accounts of the night vary, the violent response ignited a national firestorm of activism that brought new visibility to the struggle for LGBTQIA+ equality. (Source: GLAAD)

The word ‘pride’ in one of its broadest senses means ‘a sense of the respect that other people have for you, and that you have for yourself’. It’s a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction you get from your own achievements and the achievements of loved ones. In a world where the LGBTQIA+ community faced (and still faces) systemic oppression, to simply exist has always been something to be proud of and celebrated.

Once Pride events were established in major cities, they became opportunities to register queer people to vote, for groups like ACT UP to demand action on HIV, and to pressure politicians to express their support for the community by marching. (Source: Them.us)

Today, Pride Month is celebrated in many different ways all over the world, from protests, parades and parties, to memorials, campaigns and performances.

June may be the official Pride Month, but the celebration and raising awareness of LGBTQIA+ rights doesn’t need to be limited to one month in a year. We dream of a future where it becomes the norm, where every month is Pride Month.

RAINBOW CAPITALISM

Rainbow capitalism is when companies, organisations and institutions capitalise off Pride month by displaying superficial support for LGBTQIA+ rights. Also known as ‘rainbow washing’.

As general support for LGBTQIA+ rights grows, so does the corporate incentive for brands and companies to position themselves in sync with that growing sentiment. (Source: Vox)

You may have noticed that during the month of June, almost every brand has turned their logo into a rainbow, is selling rainbow merchandise or is sponsoring a high-profile public Pride event. These are some of the most telling signs of rainbow capitalism.

Rainbow capitalism is problematic because corporate and commercial brands usually end up profiting off the growing popularity of Pride month and LGBTQIA+ rights movements, while failing to meaningfully contribute to the cause.

Some may argue that a greater visibility of rainbows during Pride month is an effective way to raise awareness. However, the gesture will always fall short if brands are doing very little behind the scenes to further LGBTQIA+ rights and tackle homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia and many other barriers faced every day by LGBTQIA+ communities.

In San Francisco, for example, local Pride organisers were outraged to see that the event was partially funded by Google, despite the company’s refusal to fully address homophobic harassment on its YouTube platform. (Source: them.us)

Support during Pride month needs to be about more than changing logos to rainbows or sponsoring public events. Organisations must examine their own internal cultures and practices to ensure their LGBTQIA+ staff feel safe and nurtured.

Many brands have the power to lobby against anti-LGBTQIA+ laws and legislation. And while Pride month is an excellent opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness, brands must continue this work every other month of the year too.

As consumers, we can be more conscious about which brands we spend our money with, and choose to actively support LGBTQIA+ owned businesses.

QTIBPOC

QTIBPOC is an acronym that stands for Queer, Trans, Intersex, Black People & People of Colour. Pronounced cute-eeb-pock.

The term QTIBPOC has developed as a way to highlight the specific needs and experiences of Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour (BIPOC) within the LGBTQIA+ community.

QTIBPOC individuals often have to navigate the multiple effects of both racism and anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination. And what’s more, QTIBPOC may face the racism from the LGBTQIA+ communities they’re a part of, including overt disccimination, subtle microaggressions, and racial fetishisation. (Source: Stonewall UK)

As Pride month gains mass popularity around the world, so does the centring of white, cisgender gay and lesbian narratives as the face of Pride, while QTIBPOC narratives are pushed to the margins. (Source: Seattle Pride)

Yet the Stonewall Rebellion that inspired Pride was started and led by QTBIPOC and Latinx people. Queer women, like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, were the leaders of the movement. Their leadership must be uplifted and remain at the front of the narrative. (Source: Seattle Pride)

No matter how you choose to celebrate and raise awareness for Pride month, we all have a responsibility to reverse the forces of systemic racism by actively seeking out and celebrating QTIBPOC voices from all parts of the world.

As Marsha P. Johnson said: “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”

Part of our mission at The Other Box is to educate as many people as possible in the language of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). On all our social channels, we share weekly words and their definitions, with a different theme each month.

These terms are a taster and have been taken from our Diversity Dictionary™ module in our Know Your Bias™ course. If you'd like to learn more, check out our courses page and fill in the contact form. 

Is there a theme you’d like to see covered in Diversity Dictionary? Let us know! Our work is co-created by our community to work towards creating a world that is more inclusive and safe for everyone.

Words by Roshni Goyate

Header image by Just Jack on Unsplash