Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
Of all the intersectional challenges that face Pride, perhaps capitalism is the most intense right now. It feels like every year Pride gets more corporatized. It’s frustrating to watch big companies, many with questionable LGBTQ+ rights track records, make millions from rainbow-tinted merchandise, especially since that money could go into the pockets of actual queer creators.
The branding of Pride also distracts from the real history and purpose of this event. Pride started as a riot of rage, revolution, joy, and love. In its truest form, Pride is still a riot. But capitalism is trying to transform Pride into a shallow marketing bonanza. We can’t let that happen.
That’s why today, as part of our month-long “Make your Pride Intersectional” series, we’re tackling how to make Pride anti-capitalist.
Some might argue that the avalanche of Pride-themed products each June is a symptom of increasing mainstream support for LGBTQ+ rights. And that’s a good thing, right?
The reality is more complicated. The increasingly supportive general attitude towards LGBTQ+ communities is certainly something worth celebrating, and is one reason behind corporations’ willingness to publicly advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Capitalism is king in America, and when capitalism starts marketing to our communities, that does signal a certain kind of progress. But the mainstreaming of Pride risks overshadowing the still challenging lived realities of LGBTQ+ folks, and further marginalizing already underserved folks within the LGBTQ+ community in favor of largely white, cisgender, and economically privileged peers. Additionally, we have to question just how meaningful corporate gestures really are.
It seems logical to assume that companies that sell Pride-themed products are LGBTQ+ friendly. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Some corporations that market Pride-related things do donate a portion of the proceeds to LGBTQ+ organizations and initiatives. However, transparency about those donations can be limited. Also, some companies that publicly support LGBTQ+ rights are engaged in business practices that actively harm LGBTQ+ folks and/or involve partnering with governments that are hostile to LGBTQ+ rights. All this is to say that rainbow merchandise doesn’t automatically equal meaningful LGBTQ+ advocacy, and much of corporatized Pride is ultimately shallow, selfish, and performative.
That being said, there is nothing wrong with wanting to add some glitter to our Pride celebrations! But what better way to accessorize during Pride than with things created by actual queer creators, supporting genuine queer creativity?
We recommend starting local, talking with your trusted small business vendors and community members who can direct you to all the amazing queer artists and craftspeople in your area. We also reached out to our AAOP community for some Minnesota-based recommendations of Asian LGBTQ+ creators. Below are just a few folks they shouted out:
-Marina Kittaka, https://even-kei.itch.io/, Twitter @even_kei
-Lo Kling, https://www.picklewitch.org/merch-store/, Instagram @yolowzines
-Tori Hong, https://torihong.com/, Instagram @tori.hong
-J, https://www.papayabb.com/, Instagram @papaya.bb
-heather c. lou, https://www.hclouart.com/, Instagram @hclou
-han navami, Instagram @perfectchai
Remember and Uplift the True Meaning of Pride
Party is a party and a riot. Pride is about celebrating our LGBTQ+ communities, and about raging against the inequalities we haven’t yet toppled. Pride is about centering the voices of LGBTQ+ folks, and about supporting the work of LGBTQ+ innovators.
And Pride is definitely NOT about rewarding shallow capitalist gestures from big box stores with our money. Just saying!
Sources
Abad-Santos, Alex, “How LGBTQ Pride Month became a branded holiday”, Vox, 25 Jun 2018. https://www.vox.com/2018/6/25/17476850/pride-month-lgbtq-corporate-explained. Accessed 17 Jun 2021.
Elan, Priya, “Pride rainbow merchandise is everywhere, but who gets the pot of gold?”, Guardian, 13 Jun 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/13/pride-rainbow-merchandise-is-everywhere-but-who-gets-the-pot-of-gold. Accessed 17 Jun 2021.
Kumar, Naveen, “The Double-Edged Sword of Corporate, Commercialized Pride”, them., 28 Jun 2019. https://www.them.us/story/corporate-pride. Accessed 17 Jun 2021.