Pinkwashing: Being proud isn’t just for Pride
As we approach Pride month; corporate offices, consumer websites and retailers will roll out the rainbow carpet, flags, bunting and whistles to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. While visibility and representation is important, it is critical that companies embed year-round activities, training and policies to ensure both their staff and customers feel valued. Being proud isn’t just for Pride.
Co-Founder of Certified Proud, Liam Redmond recently took part in an interview with UK based diversityq.com who advocate and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and support organisations in creating a culture where everyone is heard and respected. We have included an excerpt below.
For employers not schooled in LGBTQ+ matters, what constitutes ‘inclusive’ policies might be unclear. Liam explains where they can start: “It’s more of the subtle changes people can make. Not every company is going to have rainbow flags hanging from the roof 365 days a year.”
Creating a workplace library with inclusive reading materials is one step, he adds: “There is plenty of literature around LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship, and leadership.”
Even if an organisation doesn’t have any ‘out’ LGBTQ+ staff, having relevant literature on display could be good for attracting more diverse recruits as they wait for an interview and encourage LGBTQ+ employees to come to work as their authentic selves, or at least feel more comfortable about discussing these topics.
But like other underrepresented groups in the workplace, LGBTQ+ people aren’t all the same, and there are the nuances of gender, race, class, disability and many more to consider, which Liam, a white cis gay man, understands.
“We can’t speak for trans people, we can’t speak for people of colour, we can’t speak for intersex people or asexual people. We work with a network of people who come from those communities and are comfortable sharing their stories, so we’re not telling someone else’s story. I think in terms of the training, it’s a lot more powerful when you hear it from that person.”
When it comes to what types of inclusive policies to implement, what’s most important?
“In percentage terms, you’d be looking at maybe 40% for education, training, and information,” says Liam. However, inclusivity training isn’t a one-off effort, he says, but should be rooted in “reaffirmation year after year” to be accepted and “integrated into people’s vocabulary.”
Liam says that something that does stall LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace is the ‘echo chamber’ culture where people only have experiences and perspectives similar to theirs reflected back at them. He gives an example of what this looks like: “So I’m living in a world where gay is normal, but we’re working with people where it isn’t, and they do not see the content or news that I see.
“It’s very easy to live in that echo chamber, and you have to challenge yourself. I think that’s what we do; we are that outside force that is saying, ‘hey, you really need to look at these things’.”
But LGBTQ+ inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do; it leads to greater employee wellbeing, better productivity, and sales: “This will not only help your colleagues feel safe, respected, and have a better quality of life but if you’re promoting LGBTQ+ awareness in a meaningful way throughout the year, you’re going to get more customers; 74% of LGBTQ+ people are more brand loyal to businesses that support LGBTQ+ issues, so it’s a no brainer.”
Ending pinkwashing and fostering real inclusion
Pinkwashing, a practice where organisations profess to care about LGBTQ+ rights without implementing any real change, Liam says, is “rife” in the business world. Spurred on by legislative movements such as the Gender Recognition Act and celebrations like Pride Month in June, companies now feel they have to do something to show support for the LGBTQ+ community rather than wanting to: “It’s harmful because it sets up a promise from an LGBTQ+ person’s point of view that inclusivity in just one month of the year,” says Liam.
What makes Certified Proud stand out in the LGBTQ+ inclusion space is its commitment to ending this practice in favour of real change: “We didn’t want it to be another iteration of Pride where we see the typical celebrations as pinkwashing, especially in the US, where companies bring out the rainbow flags in June, and by July, you see nothing mentioned of their commitment to LGBTQ+ people, it’s literally just a tactic to get people through the door.
“So, if you look at it in terms of the different days of celebration, we had International Transgender Day of Visibility at the end of March, but there’s also National Coming Out Day and Spirit Day in October, and if you look at that, there should be more reason to have LGBTQ+ content and stuff going on in October as opposed to June?”
To ensure Certified Proud doesn’t engage in pinkwashing, they donate 40% of every member’s membership fee towards helping LGBTQ+ plus charities and nonprofits: “People don’t just turn straight on the first of July. But I don’t think companies do it (pinkwashing) for bad reasons; it’s due to a lack of understanding and awareness.”
LGBTQ+ inclusion and other D&I in the ‘new normal’
So what’s in store for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the post-COVID-19 world? Generally, Liam thinks people are more empathetic towards social inequalities following George Floyd’s death last year, and the rise of the Black Lives Matter campaign to the mainstream: “As we come out of the pandemic, yes, I think there will be a growing consciousness towards inclusion and diversity more so than there was before.”
But as the pandemic brought forward the rise of digital transformation, many organisations could remain remote and reliant on online tools and software, which is good in some aspects, such as promoting flexible working, but could also play a role in cyberbullying, he warns: “For trolls that wouldn’t necessarily say the things they are saying face-to-face, they may feel like they can create a fake account and say it online.
“So there definitely is a space for that to fester and grow if it’s allowed to, so I think we need to come together and say, no, we’re not doing that. I think a lot of that comes down to the platforms we’re working on and how we’re reporting guidelines. We need to be careful that we don’t allow those practices that promote homophobia, biphobia or racism to grow.”