Corporate Pride: How Companies Can Support Pride Month

Pride Month is an opportunity for corporations to show their true colors. In Junes past, a seemingly relentless wave of rainbows made its way through many facets of everyday life. All different types of families could be seen in TV commercials; marketing emails shared Pride Month promotions, and it was hard to walk into a store without running into a display of colorful apparel and accessories. While it’s great to see corporations embracing and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in these ways, it’s important to ensure that these displays are backed by meaningful support. Anyone can sell a rainbow fanny pack – but did a gay or lesbian designer create it? Is a portion of the proceeds going to an organization that supports transgender youth? Does the retailer have HR practices that promote diversity and inclusion, or has the company rolled back those initiatives?

It used to be much harder to differentiate between companies who were just riding that rainbow wave to make a few bucks and those who actually support and champion the LGBTQ+ community. Luckily, many corporations have found ways to be more visible allies, messaging around how their Pride campaigns give back to the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, this year many companies are scaling back their Pride marketing campaigns for fear of backlash by the vocal minority, revealing their true colors.

A few companies supporting pride month that really seem to understand what it means to be an ally include:

Pride 2025: Meet You in the Park | Levi’s®

• Levi’s Meet You in the Park Pride campaign highlights the importance of safe spaces for all LGBTQIA+ folks. Their Pride 2025 clothing features a mix of gender-neutral clothing – some of which don’t feature any rainbows or Pride imagery, expanding their usage beyond Pride events. And the items that do feature Pride imagery go beyond just a rainbow logo – as their website informs, ‘inspired by queer liberation iconography, our collection pays homage to the history of San Francisco, an LGBTQIA+ mecca and home to Levi’s®’. This reveals how the campaign authentically aligns with their brand. In addition, Levi’s support for the LGBTQIA+ community extends beyond this campaign. Earlier this year, Levi’s refused to roll back their DEI initiatives. They donate $100,000 annually to Outright International (a global organization working to advance human rights for LGBTQIA+ people all over the world), and they have a long history of supporting the community, going back to 1992 when they became the first Fortune 500 company to offer health benefits to unmarried domestic partners.  
• Converse’s Proud to Be campaign, in its eleventh year, goes beyond just offering rainbow shoes. First, their shoes are available for gender-neutral sizing, making them more inclusive to transgender and non-binary folks. Their website also highlights queer joy, and they are donating to several LGBTQ+ organizations including the It Gets Better Project, IGLYO, and Homotopia. Converse Pride website states: “Converse has always stood with the proud, the daring, and the unapologetic…For our 2025 ‘Proud to Be’ celebration, we’re not looking back, we’re lighting the way forward towards a future of love and joy for everyone.’
• Puma, another company that refused to roll back its support for DEI, released its ‘Equal Love Confederation’ campaign to celebrate Pride worldwide. The collection features Pride themed gender-neutral clothing and shoes. Their website describes the collection as ‘urges the global community to work towards a more inclusive and accepting world, on and off the pitch. Stand out, be yourself, and play with pride.’ Beyond this campaign, Puma also has a longstanding partnership with The Trevor Project and supports youth sports inclusivity through initiatives like #REFORMTheLockerRoom. 

Pride Month is an important time because it promotes visibility and encourages acceptance, which are luxuries that have not always been afforded to the LGBTQ+ community. There is still so much to be done in the U.S. and around the world – work that requires collaboration between members of the community and organizations that aim to uplift them. As great as it would be to see the entire world covered in rainbows, what really matters is when corporations with the resources to impact change step up and show up to make the world a better place for the LGBTQ+ community. Those who are just looking to take advantage of the rainbow wave and sell a few colorful fanny packs might end up getting swept away instead. 

C+R and its CultureBeat^® division’s mission is to provide brands with the knowledge they need to deeply know the LGBTQ+ cohort and the intricacies of their motivations, drivers, and challenges.  We join this community in celebrating Pride Month and the rainbows that come with it!