On top of my years of consulting experience, my guidance is informed by decades of lived experience, learning and unlearning from my queer peers, long before I started doing this work professionally.
Start with your LGBTQ+ employees
This is not the most original advice, but I believe it’s the most important, so it’s No. 1. Any organization considering a public display of support for the LGBTQ+ community or an acknowledgment of Pride Month must first look inward and ensure they have adequate and inclusive protections for their LGBTQ+ employees. This type of culture change work takes effort, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach, but reputable organizations like Out & Equal can help you navigate creating a culture of belonging.
For organizations already engaged in this work, be sure to consult with your LGBTQ+ employee resource group regularly. But ensure they are opting in to support these efforts and the emotional labor of any support is taken into consideration. And never put a single individual or small group in a position to represent the views and opinions of this broad and diverse community.
Know your audience and plan for some degree of backlash
Understanding your consumers and other stakeholders, especially employees, is critical to ensuring an LGBTQ+ inclusive initiative will be received positively. Decision-makers should acknowledge the unique positioning of their brand and parent company and allow that to guide their engagement strategy while avoiding drawing false parallels to recent high-profile brand controversies.
Accept that some degree of backlash will be inevitable for brands creating LGBTQ+ inclusive content—before, during and after Pride Month. Just as anti-LGBTQ+ legislative efforts are disproportionately targeting trans people right now, brands that support trans people are also feeling the heat. But abandoning support for the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community is not the right answer. You just need a new strategy on how to maintain that support while accounting for the safety of your LGBTQ+ employees and the community members you partner with.
It’s OK to be quieter in June, as long as you’re louder July through May
Brands downplaying their Pride efforts certainly don’t look great for their LGBTQ+ consumers. But what could make your brand appeal to LGBTQ+ and allied consumers even more than a Pride campaign? Sustained community support year-round.
LGBTQ+ community members paying attention the past decade have certainly felt skeptical bearing witness to the latest trends of cliché rainbow marketing in June, flashy PR campaigns with questionable representation, and ad spends for said campaigns that far outweigh the charitable donations linked to those same efforts. So give the community what they want. Show up for us throughout the other 11 months of the year, especially when and where we need it most. The springtime for state-wide legislative sessions is an excellent place to start.