Subcultures define me. I am a member of many minorities, Hispanic, leftie, and a friend of Dorothy. I am a gay cis-man, born a few months before the 70s were over. I came out to my close friends and family just before Will & Grace aired its first episode. Meaning… it was a very different time when homosexuality was still relatively hush-hush and hidden. Now in days, homosexuality (in the U.S., at least) is normalized and more openly embraced. You would think this would be great (and it is on paper), yet all things that become less controversial and more accepted eventually find their way into marketers’ laps.
Enter Pride Month
You know where I am going. June 1st arrives, and suddenly the sun shines just a little pinker. Companies switch their logos for more colorful versions and become beacons of LBTQIA+ rights (sorry if I am missing acronyms) to appeal to the pockets of our community, also referred to as the pink dollar. This cause marketing trend is called Pink Washing. Am I eating what they are serving? Meh. Not really (most of the time).
I am appreciative of visibility-raising efforts, occasional donations, and work done. But I feel these should not be limited to pride month; in the same way, I’m not gay once a year. Taking the LGBTQIA+ hat off for a second, the same should apply to any minority efforts. Some brands just try too hard, and their voice becomes disingenuous.
Queerbaiting
This is the more evil cousin of Pink Washing. Queerbaiting will give you the nod, the subtle hint, the leaning kiss that just turns out to be a hug. Social media content, movies, and television will portray certain LGBTQIA+ stories or visuals just to appeal to that audience without fully committing to or supporting them. I can understand how content from 20-30 years ago or more could be interpreted as such, but I don’t consider it queerbaiting since, back then, subtlety had to be kept to avoid offense. For this reason, I consider queerbaiting to be a recent development. This practice has become very frowned upon by the community itself, especially when old stereotypes are perpetuated.
LGBTQIA+ Gentrification
As an “older” gay man, I can tell you that some of us miss being outcasts. Gay culture has to a point, become gentrified. We miss having bars that heterosexuals were afraid to step into (now they get packed with loud bridal showers that elicit collective eye rolls). Some of us miss that seclusion and the feeling of a safe space.
As marketers, we need to be more aware of the repercussions our cause-marketing efforts have and balance our gains and cause gains. Brands should celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community by protecting its uniqueness and values. As Director of Social Media for Florida International University, I don’t change our social media profiles for pride month or go out of my way to pepper LGBTQIA+ content everywhere. Instead, I support our community year-round, make sure all minorities are well represented in our content, and raise awareness for special events such as the lavender commencement and pride marches. My take on it is to protect the uniqueness while elevating the voice.
I recommend the following links to learn more about these topics:
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