Pinkwashing and Rainbow Capitalism: Woke Corporates in the age of Social Media
*As an ally, I am cognizant that my views are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the needs and aspirations of the LGBTQIA+ community in our country and I only hope that we move towards greater inclusivity in the years to come*
Social media has provided a voice to one and all. Increasingly, we see companies trying to align with popular narratives to enhance their public perception and woo customers.
Little surprise that cometh the pride month and digital marketing teams changed company logos to a rainbow template — from tech companies like Instagram that provided new stickers to SAP that changed its display picture on social media platforms. The Salesforce Tower displayed LED rainbow flags in honour of Global Pride. Apple, like many other product-based companies, released products aligned to the multi-colour theme symbolic to the community. These gay-friendly promotion strategies (if reduced to a marketing gimmick) is referred to as pinkwashing. This incorporation of the LGBT movement and sexual diversity to capitalism and the market economy is rainbow capitalism.
Before I get started, let me begin with an awareness fact for anyone who needs it.
What is the Pride month?
The month of June in the aftermath of the Stonewall uprising is largely hailed as the Pride month by the LGBTQIA+ community (abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, genderqueer, queer, intersexed, agender, asexual, and ally community). The last day of the month sees parades by the community.
Crony Capitalists and Their Solidarity
Now I remember that at the beginning of the pride month I was particularly excited at Microsoft Outlook’s new pride theme on its mobile application. With a loud so-cool cry, I changed my theme settings to that.
As the month progressed, I saw more applications display their solidarity with the community.
While vocal support now is better than years of neglect or admonishment that the LGBTQIA+ community has been subjected to, it is imperative to not limit ourselves to token gestures without any tangible impacts.
So What Do I Expect?
I might appear as the eternal cynic, as I press for greater authenticity from brands. However, it is crucial to look at how far we have all come.
So, let us pause for a moment and pat ourselves on the back. And look at how we have all become a little more queer-friendly along the way.
But there is room for more, ALWAYS.
And let us now answer HOW.
Tinder India collaborated with Ritviz and uploaded a video to celebrate pride. While the online dating platform has always embraced myriad gender identities and provided a safe space to their romantic experiences, I expected more from their pride anthem. I expected it to be a display of queer talent rather than a popular cis-gendered, heterosexual-led effort to garner all the aww-s.
Swedish artist and founder of international LGBTQ organization ‘Rainbow Riots’, Petter Wallenberg, is credited for coming up with India’s first pride anthem, ‘Love is Love’. It features the talent of the queer community — thus amplifying their voices rather than reducing the song to a mere symbolic deed.
Brands including Tinder India have a lesson or two to learn from this. We are in a time when we see through insincere, half-ass efforts to appease in a jiffy.
Inclusion — The Real Way to Go About
As advertising and marketing companies try to be progressive, modern, and tolerant it is of foremost importance to not limit this mainstream acceptance to a virtual world.
As a moment of protest alters to a celebration, capitalists must be at their best behaviour.
Support campaigns and ads must not perpetuate stereotypes. And for that, we need to engage with the gay community and its members as participants in designing campaigns, strategies, and products. This calls for greater diversity and representation across teams.
As a matter of principle, firms must donate money to trans, and non-binary community-led organisations. In the unlikely situation that they don’t, they are gaining from a community and its cause without giving anything back. And that ain’t fair.
Most importantly corporates must support gay rights and legislations. It is essential to align with political leaders, parties and, candidates that express their support rather than perpetuate transphobic or homophobic notions. One cannot just rainbow-wash ideas and products for a summer month. The recipe for a true ally encapsulates consistent and sustainable efforts, preferably with no hypocrisy.
The Queer Friendly Workplace
Building diversity at the workplace for everyone including the LGBTQIA+ community workforce is a collective responsibility of human resources, leaders, and the workforce.
Corporates need to learn to adopt causes the right way. Inclusivity in policies, right from hiring to engaging with employees is essential. An important step could be to take inputs from employees to facilitate better polices for mental health, identity, and expression.
It includes sensitizing the staff through training programs to the gender and sexual spectrum. The organisation and its employees need to have these difficult dialogues to accommodate each other comfortably.
Companies need to continuously evaluate if what they are doing is enough by asking themselves the following questions —
Does the workplace provide members of the LGBTQIA+ employees a safe space to be themselves and bring their best selves to work?
Are there gender-neutral washrooms?
Does the medical insurance policy include sex affirmation surgery?
Does a member of the LGBTQIA+ community feel heard? Are there equal opportunities for growth?
What are the policies for justice in the unlikelihood of discrimination and exploitation that is faced by employees?
These questions stem from essential values of justice, empathy, and equality for all. These are only prerequisites for not just the workspace, but for any community to become kinder and more inclusive.
Only then will the gimmicky rainbow-wash logo or an LED display be thoroughly appreciated. I am sure we have a long way to go for that.
Clichéd as it may sound but pride needs to be celebrated every day through better policies and kinder selves.
Note: The above article is no means to diss the credible work for the trans community that several aforementioned organisations are aligned with.
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