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I recently started a new role at my company, which meant I would be working with many new people that I’ve never met. There was the usual stress that comes with starting a new role and questions such as, “Will they like me?” and “Will they see the value I bring?” And like many in the LGBTQ+ community, I had the added anxiety of figuring out how to come out to them.
The idea that you only come out once is a falsehood. With a job like mine, I literally have to come out to new employees, clients and vendors all the time. Sometimes, it would just be easier not to bring up my personal life to save the awkwardness.
But I remember the pride I hold in who I am. It takes strength and courage each time someone comes out. It is only when we are our authentic selves that a real relationship based on trust can flourish.
With Pride Month upon us, the same is true of brands that support the LGBTQ+ community. Many have heard of the term “pinkwashing,” the practice of a state or company presenting itself as gay-friendly and progressive to downplay its negative behavior. This is prevalent during Pride, where many brands cater to the LGBTQ+ community with customized ads, products and promotions.
But it’s not enough for these brands to “come out” once a year in June. To build that trust and authenticity, they need to be coming out and showing up 12 months out of the year.
Today’s consumers are smart and have ubiquitous access to information. If a brand doesn’t support our values in a meaningful way, then we will take our business elsewhere. This has only been exacerbated by the pandemic—50% of consumers believe that the pandemic has made them revise their personal purpose and what is important in life.
For brands that build trust and show up in an authentic way, the size of the prize is huge. According to 2021 U.S. government census data, the LGBTQ+ community is the fastest-growing minority segment in the country, with close to $1.4 trillion in spending power. This is on par with Hispanic American, African American and AAPI segments.
So how can brands continuously come out and show up for the LGBTQ+ community?
Speak out—silence is not a strategy
When the state of Florida passed legislation placing a restriction on teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in its schools, labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, Disney CEO Bob Chapek decided initially to keep his head down. It wasn’t until the LGBTQ+ community threatened a boycott and employees walked out that Chapek subsequently apologized for not publicly opposing the legislation. He said he had lobbied against it in private, promising to oppose similar legislation elsewhere.
In contrast, Levi’s is a brand that has a long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community and remains dedicated to the cause. Recent efforts include condemning the Department of Health’s threats to narrow the definition of gender in 2018 and supporting the rights of a transgender boy who was denied access to his school’s bathroom in the 2019 Adams v. School Board of St. Johns County lawsuit.
Collaborate and co-create
Each year, brands give back millions of dollars to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, including many LGBTQ+ groups.
While supporting charities is critical to showing support, major retail brands like Nordstrom, Target, Sephora, Kohl’s and Saks Off Fifth are showing their pride year-round by collaborating with a gender-free fashion brand called the Phluid Project. The nonprofit aims to empower individuals by giving them a way to express themselves through clothing. The brand is available in more than 5,000 stores through these partnerships.
Last Fall, Saks Off Fifth launched its first exclusive gender-neutral clothing and accessories line and donated 100% of the proceeds to the Phluid Foundation.
Mastercard’s True Name feature is a strong example of how a company responded positively to feedback from the trans and non-binary community to ensure that its policies and products reflect a commitment to diversity, inclusion and acceptance. The True Name feature lets cardholders with participating banks use their chosen name on their card without requiring a legal name change. Nearly one-third of individuals who have shown IDs with a name or gender that did not match their presentation reported negative experiences, including being harassed, denied services or attacked.
Storytelling versus stereotyping
Marketing and advertising are evolving in the DEI space, shifting away from stereotypical imagery to authentic storytelling. For the LGBTQ+ community, this means recognizing and celebrating the commonalities but also the uniqueness of each letter that makes up our community.
No two stories are the same. Brands need to represent us authentically rather than relying on stereotypes about what it means to be LGBTQ+.
Oreo declaring itself as a lifelong ally through a touching ad by famed lesbian indie director Alice Wu is a great example of this. The ad entitled “The Note” is an intimate retelling of a young Chinese American man and his journey of coming out as gay to all of his family members. It does a beautiful job educating and capturing the emotions and anxiety that continuously coming out can bring. It also demonstrates the critical elements of intersectionality, culture and allyship in the LGBTQ+ community.
As we celebrate Pride this year and the progress of the LGBTQ+ movement, there is still much to be done. With more brands becoming allies and coming out in a meaningful way all year round, it will help make our personal coming out stories in the LGBTQ+ community a bit easier.
This article is part of a special Voice series, Proud Voices: How the LGBTQ+ Community Is Choosing Resilience, intended to educate marketers on what they can learn from the culture about authenticity and pride.
