The Business of Being Visible

From the reading: The Business of Being Visible

Every June, a curious transformation takes place in the lobbies of multinational corporations. Logos are recoloured in rainbow palettes, social media feeds fill with declarations of solidarity, and marketing teams release carefully worded statements about inclusion. Critics have long argued that much of this is rainbow-washing — a term that is now widely used to describe what is considered performative allyship with little substance behind it. What is less often acknowledged, however, is that Pride month has simultaneously evolved into one of the most economically significant cultural events in the global calendar, generating an estimated $1.7 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone in 2023, according to data compiled by the National Retail Federation.