Every year, like clockwork, June 1st hits and suddenly every corporation on Earth remembers queer people exist. Logos turn rainbow. Merch drops. Social media managers dust off their “Love is Love” templates. And for a brief, shimmering moment, it feels like the world is celebrating us.
Until you look a little closer.
Because behind the rainbow gradients and limited‑edition tumblers is a truth we all know but rarely say out loud: A lot of these companies don’t support queer people. They support queer purchasing power.
And honestly? I’m tired.
The Performance of Pride
Let’s get one thing straight (lol): I’m not mad at visibility. I’m not mad at celebration. I’m not mad at companies who genuinely invest in queer people, queer safety, queer employees, and queer futures.
I am mad at the ones who treat Pride like a seasonal marketing opportunity the same way they treat pumpkin spice or back‑to‑school sales.
Pride isn’t a theme. It’s a history. It’s a protest. It’s a community. It’s a fight we’re still in.
So when a company slaps a rainbow on their logo while quietly donating to anti‑LGBTQ politicians, cutting DEI programs, or retreating the moment things get politically inconvenient… that’s not allyship. That’s branding.
“Do We Even Still Need Pride?” Yes. And Here’s Why.
Every year, especially lately, someone asks the same tired question:
“Do we even need Pride anymore? Aren’t you happy you can get married now?”
As if marriage equality magically solved everything. As if queer people aren’t still being targeted, legislated against, and killed. As if visibility equals safety.
Here’s the truth: we still need Pride because queer safety is still conditional.
There are countries where being gay is punishable by imprisonment or death. There are governments actively trying to erase trans people from public life. And even here in the U.S., things are not “all good.”
Just in the last few years, multiple trans women have been murdered in Texas and other states simply for existing. These aren’t isolated incidents; they’re part of a documented pattern of violence against trans women, especially Black and Latina trans women.
While politicians debate whether we “still need Pride,” families are burying their daughters..
Receipts: The Companies Who Love Pride (But Not Us)
This isn’t about dragging for sport. It’s about patterns — and the pattern is loud.
- Anheuser‑Busch One harmless Dylan Mulvaney collab and they folded instantly, then pulled out of St. Louis Pride after 30 years.
- Target A decade of Pride merch, undone by misinformation and backlash. Pride displays quietly moved to the back.
- Corporate Pride Sponsors Mastercard, Garnier, Skyy Vodka, and others have scaled back or withdrawn support as DEI becomes politically “risky.”
Hundreds of anti‑LGBTQ bills have been introduced across the U.S. in recent years. And instead of stepping up, many corporations are stepping back, or worse, stepping into June with a rainbow logo while funding the politicians writing those bills.
That’s not allyship. That’s camouflage.
Rainbow Capitalism Isn’t New – But It’s Getting More Obvious
Queer people have been calling out rainbow capitalism for years. But lately, the mask is slipping.
Companies used to at least pretend their Pride campaigns were rooted in values. Now many don’t even bother pretending. They just:
- launch a Pride collection
- post a rainbow logo
- sponsor a parade
- and go back to business as usual on July 1st
It’s not allyship. It’s seasonal engagement.
And it’s insulting.
What Real Allyship Looks Like
Real allyship is not a rainbow logo. It’s this:
- protect queer employees
- offer gender‑affirming healthcare
- refuse to fund anti‑LGBTQ politicians
- stand firm when backlash comes
- support queer creators year‑round
- invest in queer safety, not just queer aesthetics
If you can’t do that, you don’t get to sell me a rainbow water bottle.
So What Do We Do With This?
I’m not telling anyone to boycott every Pride collection. I’m not telling you to stop enjoying the fun parts of June. I’m not telling you to stop celebrating.
I am saying this:
Pay attention. Follow the money, not the merch. Support queer‑owned businesses. Support companies that show up in July, not just June. Don’t let a rainbow logo convince you someone is on your side.
Because Pride isn’t a marketing opportunity. It’s a legacy. It’s a responsibility. It’s ours babes, not theirs.
I even meme’d about this on Instagram, because sometimes that’s the most honest language for this kind of corporate Pride capitalism bullshit: If your support disappears the second it costs you something, it was never solidarity, it was branding with better lighting.
Closing Thought
If a company wants to celebrate Pride, great. If they want to profit from Pride, they need to earn it.
And that starts with something a rainbow logo can’t buy: actual, year‑round, unapologetic support for queer people.
With gratitude,
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