THREAD: As you read this sentence, thousands of companies will have taken down their rainbow flags and pushed their glitter glue supplies back into their office back rooms. See, we queer folx have been always dismissed to June, when queer rights gain traction with #Pride.

And this is where it gets complicated for brands looking to align their marketing efforts to a queer audience - is there a line where a company’s support for the LGBTQIA+ community crosses into pandering? Is the rainbow filter really all that they can do?

The truth is that brands really aren’t looking out for representation; they are looking for queer click bait. Gay culture will always be trivialised with marketing gimmicks, treated as a SEO trend for a short thirty day period.

TLDR: We don’t want rainbow merch, or multicoloured cocktails, or pride anthems, or even virtual pride marches you hold over a zoom call.

While you may increasingly see big dollar signs on a historically underrepresented community, as long as your efforts are from a genuine place of inclusivity, then your brand will be welcomed with open arms … and open wallets.

TIME TO STEP UP THE GAME, folks. Understand that there is far more you can do to be authentic to actually tap into the queer community for business. You have to do more than rainbow-wash your logos to truly cater to a queer audience.

The community doesn’t need your pat on our backs. Real lives need tangible support. Let queer folx take control over queer narratives. Let us tell our stories. Let us direct our own tales. Let us reclaim our voices and spaces.

KEEP READING THIS ON REPEAT TILL YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND IT. Do you have equal opportunity policies? What’s your policy on harassment on the basis of gender and sexual identity? Do you know the difference between these?

BREAKING NEWS: queer voices don’t necessarily need appreciation, we need to be acknowledged. So how do you become a true ally this side of June?

SUPPORT more queer artists. READ more queer writers. DONATE to more queer organisations. HIRE more queer actors. AMPLIFY more queer voices. DIVERSIFY your teams. PRODUCE more queer content. We aren’t asking for a spotlight, we are just asking for a platform.

This is a long arduous journey, but one can hope for a better world.

Until then, you can just hand us the microphone. I promise we won’t drop it. #Pride