Pride Month kicks off today and as always brands are quick to jump on the bandwagon to release rainbow hued packaging in an effort to gain a new following and demographic. Ok, that sounds a bit harsh….! It’s not always about gaining new followers! Some brands actually put effort into bringing awareness to the LGBTQ+ community by either donating or educating their consumers on what Pride Month means.
As an ally that has many friends in the community I feel the need to use my voice and platform to bring attention to Pride Month.
To understand more about Pride Month you have to start at the beginning. June 28 marks the anniversary of the Stonewall riots that happened right here in New York. The riots lasted until July 3rd and were considered one of the most important events in the gay liberation movement. Protests were held against the local government and police for displaying violence to members in the community.
Did you know in the 50s and through the 60s the FBI and police departments kept lists of known homosexuals, their friends, and where they’d hang out? Did you also know the USPS tracked where homosexual material was mailed and state and local governments would not only shut down gay bars and establishments but arrest their customers and expose them in newspapers in an effort to “clean up” the neighborhood. Can you imagine living in a society where you couldn’t express your sexuality for fear you’d be exposed to bullying or worst potential death?
We’ve come a long way since that time but sadly harassment, discrimination, bullying, inequality, fear, and even suicide are still daily struggles for people in the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s so important for our friends in the LGBTQ+ to be seen, to be heard, to be offered the opportunity to live their lives without fears or prejudice! And to be offered love! It’s so important for people no matter what lifestyle they live to know they are loved.
If brands are going want to support Pride Month I am very much about that but I want to see some sort of education from them and a charitable effort. Just throwing some rainbow packaged lip balm out there isn’t enough. The goal is to bring attention and education to the community. And yes, donations are always helpful especially to organizations like the Trevor Project that’s a suicide prevention org that aids the community and questioning youth.
The goal of a donation in my opinion should be 100% net proceeds but a lot of brands give very little to the cause and I’d love to see that change. I’d also love to see brands educating their followers a bit more and explaining who they are donating to, why they are doing it, and why they are bringing attention to Pride with their marketing. It wouldn’t go amiss if brands even focused on a particular person’s story and shared it with their fans and followers. And the real effort is if you do something outside of Pride Month….! I want to see brands bring the important message of LGBTQ+ community throughout the year not just in June. We need to bring attention to the matter all days of the year not just June.
And hey, let’s not put everything in rainbow packaging. How about we choose a person who can speak on the importance of the LGBTQ+ community and allow them to use a brand’s platform to educate us. Maybe someone that’s struggled through coming out or has faced fear and bullying due to their sexuality. Having a personal spokesperson or even spokespeople is a great way to educate others and shows a brand cares about the community.
One of the biggest supporters and best charitable efforts I’ve seen in the community would be the MAC Viva Glam campaign. Year after year, MAC Cosmetics raises millions of dollars by selling Viva Glam Lipsticks and Lipglosses that give 100% of the complete sale price to the MAC Viva Glam Fund.
If you’re an ally like I am you can find help information on at the Stonewall Foundation and the Trevor Project and they are two great organizations you may want to help with donations.
I’m going to try and round up this year’s best in brand picks that donate to the community. I’ll also do a worst in brand picks as there are some brands that need a call out for doing such a poor job supporting the community.
Happy Pride Month friends!
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