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5 Ways to Fix LGBTQ Pride with Corporate Money
Every year around Pride a recurring argument seems to break out, roughly splitting LGBTQ folks into two camps: those who think Pride should be less corporate, and those who welcome the corporatization of pride as a positive, incremental step.
Most people know that the majority of Pride-participating companies are primarily doing it for marketing reasons — whether to sell products, recruit employees or both. Whether it’s rainbow-themed tchotchkes in windows or corporate sponsorship of pride parades and afterparties, everyone knows corporate interests are somewhat insincere. Of course, this rubs many people the wrong way (even as they willingly accept the money that flows into our community).
But I think this whole argument misses a few key points that seem important to me:
They Are Not Mutually Exclusive
The idea that we can either have Pride celebrations that are totally sponsored by Absolut or completely without logos is a tautology. No matter where you land on the question of corporate sponsorship, both can co-exist in a reasonable and authentic way. For example, parade organizers could limit corporate branding to the celebratory pavilions that follow the main event, while keeping the parade free of sponsor overlays. You could allow employee groups to participate in…
