Since June is Pride Month, you’ve probably noticed temporary changes to familiar logos. Some call those changes ‘rainbow washing.’
The term rainbow washing was a fairly new one for me. After doing a bit of research, I understand it now, although I don’t fully understand all of the anger. I’ll get to that in a minute.
If you don’t know the term, I’ll save you the Google search. Since June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ community, you may have noticed many corporations updating their logos with rainbow colors. Those upgrades, of course, remind us of the pride flag’s rainbow colors.
So “rainbow washing” is washing logos with the spectrum just to imply solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
It’s not the only type of “washing” that businesses can be accused of. We know October as, among other things, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some accuse businesses that roll out pink versions of their logos (or add pink ribbons) of pinkwashing just to make a buck from women who might be moved by such a gesture.
A 2019 article in Techpost displayed 44 examples of corporate logos that had been altered with rainbow colors. The “offenders” included the likes of AT&T, eBay, Google, Comcast, T-Mobile, TV Guide, and Hulu. Each either replaced their normal branding color with the rainbow or placed the logo over a rainbow background.
The intent, however they did it, was clear.
Or was it?
Some get pretty judgmental over such a change.
Rainbow washing, in case you haven’t guessed, it not a term of endearment. It’s very definitely a slam against any company being accused of trying to capitalize on the LGBTQ community to make a buck.
I’m not trying to excuse the practice, but businesses do marketing. Marketing tries to capitalize on opportunities to increase people’s awareness about brands.
That’s just how it works.
There have been times when I’ve added a rainbow to my blog’s logo if for no other reason just to show support. Does that make me a horrible person?
There have been times when I’ve added pink to the logo for breast cancer. I lost one of my closest friends last December to breast cancer; is wanting to raise awareness because of the disease she battled for years not good enough?
Awareness is a good thing, right?
Well, not necessarily, some say. In fact, some even offer criteria about whether you can tell if a business actually is rainbow washing.
In fact, UrbanList came up with a list of warning signs a business might be rainbow washing. But a couple on the list seem a bit suspicious to me.
For example, the list includes launching Pride initiatives and having corporate groups marching in Pride parades. I suppose “launching Pride initiatives” can be a bit vague. But if the initiative is designed to help a business’ LGBTQ employees, I’m not sure how that’s a problem. As for having team members march in Pride parades, I don’t see an issue there, either.
A friend of mine from college works for a company that has launched a huge pride initiative and he and his colleagues marched at a recent Pride event. I will take his word for it that he personally sees the difference that company has made for its LGBTQ customers. As a result, seeing their logos decorated with the rainbow colors doesn’t offend me at all.
Unfortunately, it seems too many are quick to assume the worst. Then again, that can’t be a surprise, can it?
Others try to define rainbow washing in terms of whether a business that alters their logo either actually donates to an LGBTQ-friendly organization or doesn’t donate to anti-LGBTQ initiatives. I don’t keep up with which organizations the majority of companies I do business with donate to. Honestly, part of me wishes I had time to do so.
But if I want to do business with a certain company and I care about certain causes, I can handle both. I can still do business with companies I value and I can then donate on my own to causes I care about.
How much ‘support’ is required?
If you have a company that discriminates against its LGBTQ employees, that’s a company that shouldn’t try to pander. I think that’s fair.
But if it’s a company that doesn’t discriminate and simply wants to show support through its corporate identity, why is that such a problem? The answer seems to focus on the amount the company invests in LGBTQ causes. Conversely, it can also be about the money they spend on causes that are specifically anti-LGBTQ.
Some Christian programs fall into the latter category even if they are not blatantly anti-LGBTQ per se.
Chick-fil-A catches a lot of flak for its support of Christian organizations. But if Chick-fil-A is such a horrible company, why are LGBTQ employees working there? Shouldn’t they catch flak as well?
More importantly, what’s the cutoff for support? Rather than look for warning signs that a company might be guilty of rainbow washing, are there specific criteria that would absolve them?
Is there a percentage of revenue that needs to go to LGBTQ causes that stops the vilification?
Can we agree on a number of payroll hours devoted to working with LGBTQ communities or recruiting LGBTQ employees?
Does anyone have a checklist that every business that dares display the spectrum during the month of June must check off first?
No? I didn’t think so.
There are different layers of support.
As with all things, there’s not going to be one simple list that’s going to apply equally to all businesses. I’m sure you can come up with obvious examples of businesses that shouldn’t envelop their identities in the colors of the rainbow.
But at the same time, I wonder why a company making a gesture of support — no matter how many dollars they donate — seems to prompt a default response of suspicion. In fact, I see more hostility against companies that acknowledge Pride Month than against companies that ignore it.
If it’s better to ignore Pride Month than acknowledge it, I have to wonder why there’s such a lack of gratitude.
No matter what cause you’re passionate about, I bet very few organizations are ever going to do as much as you think they should. I’d agree that it’d be nice if some organizations would do more. But just as I’m not going call for boycotts of businesses that don’t spread the rainbow across their corporate identity, I’m not going to try to take actions against those that do.
Some people benefit by more subtle reminders to treat others with respect.
Clearly, our society needs that kind of reminder all year round.
