08/06/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต
๐๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ป๐ข๐ฏ๐ข
Akin to how politicians plaster their names across every imaginable surface come election season, businesses, too, have caught on to another heartbeat of Pride Month: marketing.
Every June, from local vendors to multinational corporations, companies roll out Pride-themed merchandise and campaigns in a show of support for LGBTQ+ rights. Their windows are adorned with rainbow flags, symbolic items are sold, and donations are channeled to LGBTQ+ organizations. In recent years, examples have ranged from Nikeโs rainbow-designed sneakers, to Burger Kingโs temporarily rebranded products. In a more local context, several telcos and mall chains have put up logos in rainbow hues and are sponsoring Pride parades.
Yet, behind this seemingly authentic gesture lies a growing concern about capitalistic opportunism. While the recognition of a thriving market for LGBTQ+-specific products and services can signify progressโreflecting increased visibility and acceptance of the very community they targetโit also raises pressing questions: Behind the storefront, what are these companies doing to address the systemic issues that LGBTQ+ individuals face? Do their efforts extend beyond June?
If not, then businesses risk rendering these efforts merely performativeโnothing more than a way to commodify q***r identities and experiences. By prioritizing profit over people, this scheme reduces the LGBTQ+ community to a consumer demographic, undermining the very spirit of Pride: empowerment, resistance, and liberation. In which case, for whom exactly do these companies fight?
Interestingly, in the United States, a survey by Gravity Researchโa risk management advisoryโrevealed a potential decline in the prominence of such marketing tactics. Amid growing political intimidation against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, only 14 percent of surveyed companies reported scaling down their internal Pride engagement. Notably, many corporate employees applied counter-pressure to maintain support for LGBTQ+ issues. This underscores the importance of identifying the micro-steps companies take toward advancing Pride-related causes. When brands only align with the community when itโs convenient or profitable, they risk losing the credibility of their supposed support.
As major corporations in the home country are also beginning to launch their own Pride-themed campaigns, the call to promote ethical consumerism becomes more urgent. Consumers must make informed choicesโsupporting LGBTQ+-owned businesses and those that actively advocate for LGBTQ+ rights year-round. The struggle has been long and hard-fought. We must not settle for fleeting, profit-driven gestures.
This holds particular importance today, when the communityโdespite growing representation in media and pop cultureโcontinues to face unequal treatment in healthcare, education, and employment. Access to gender-affirming care, for instance, remains out of reach for many trans individuals, with their identities often dismissed as โconfusingโ by medical staff and institutional policies. Compounding this is the lack of comprehensive and inclusive s*x education in schools, leaving students misinformed about SOGIE-related topics. As long as legal protections such as the SOGIE Equality Bill remain stalled in Congress, violence and exclusion will persist as part of daily life for many LGBTQ+ Filipinos. Branded gestures during Pride can feel like little more than a band-aid on a chronic wound.
The proliferation of Pride-themed merchandise should always come with a march: a march toward listening to the community, addressing its needs, and dismantling the systems that continue to marginalize and exploit it. Only then can we truly celebrate a Pride Month that is inclusive, authentic, and meaningful.
๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ด ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ๐บ๐ญ๐ข ๐๐ถ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐จ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข
