Corporations See Dollar Signs, Not Rainbows, During Pride Month

Along with what feels like the entirety of the corporate world, the U.S. Marines recently tweeted a picture of a helmet with rainbow bullets to virtue-signal its support for pride month.

Outside the military, other panderers are hoping to turn a sweet profit during the month of June. Insider Intelligence’s eMarketer reports that LGBT folks possess a disproportionate share of disposable income and “are more likely than members of other groups to seek out brands that represent and include them, to reward those that show sustained support of LGBTQ+ friendly media and causes, and to remain loyal to brands that are loyal to them.” According to a 2019 YouGov survey, “Nearly a quarter (24%) of Americans say they would be more likely to do business with companies that are known to be LGBTQ-friendly.” For that reason, this tactic of marketing toward LGBT-identifiers and allies can more accurately be described as “rainbow capitalism” than solidarity.

This is your yearly reminder corporate America (and corporations wherever else an LGBT lifestyle is celebrated rather than punishable by death) sees pride month as a moneymaker. The novelty of the rainbow flag in June translates to high profitability for companies and products that otherwise have no direct relation to the LGBT movement.

Here are some of the most ridiculous examples of corporations pandering with the rainbow for the green:

The Brooklyn Nets

In a recent tweet, the Brooklyn Nets wished LGBT folks a happy pride. In their efforts to be all-inclusive, the colorful mess of a graphic they posted appears to be ableist against people suffering from epilepsy.

Burger King

The fast-food chain, whose name reaffirms that there are only two sexes, debuted the “Pride Whopper” in Austria’s locations. What makes these inclusive, you ask? Double top or double bottom buns — which means only that the less fortunate will be stuck eating two bottom buns with their burger this month.

M&S

M&S is milking the BLT for all its worth, rearranging the letters and adding avocado to create an “LGBT” sandwich, which is cleverly composed of lettuce, guacamole, bacon, and tomato in that specific order. Your “pride and joy” is their profit.

IHOP

The pancake restaurant failed to shout out the ever-growing list of other leftist-fabricated sexualities and genders in a tweet tailored only to people identifying as pansexual — but whatever sells breakfast food.

Premier Inn

The hotel chain’s take on a pride month graphic capitalizes on the idea of “coming out,” with “Premier Inn” swapping its logo for “Premier Out” with a variation of the pride flag.

Target

Going beyond just changing its logo, Target released multiple new clothing lines featuring chest binders and packing underwear for women, matching pronoun T-shirt sets for families, so-called inclusive swimwear, and baby bibs that read “my first pride.”

In addition to the clothing lines, Target is also selling pride-themed pet toys, housewares, and children’s books. Some titles include “Bye Bye Binary,” and “The Pronoun Book.”

No Inclusion for the Middle East

Many corporations have opted to exclude the pride rainbow from branding for the Middle East, where homosexuality is a heinous crime. Here are just a few:

Mercedes-Benz

Visa

BP

Elise McCue is an intern at The Federalist and student at Virginia Tech majoring in multimedia journalism and professional and technical writing. She is an opinions and lifestyle writer for the Collegiate Times and reports on the Southwest Virginia music scene for The Roanoke Times. You can follow her on twitter @elisemccue or contact her at [email protected].

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