I love Pride. I love the energy and the camaraderie in the air to show support for the LGBT+ community. I even love how some of my favourite companies roll out their Pride merch and change their logo to a rainbow theme on their social media. But is that enough?
Pride is more than a celebration. It’s rooted in protest and a fight for equality so that we’re free to love who we love, express our gender however we want, without political backlash, with radical authenticity. While this visibility during Pride Month is important, queer people don’t exist within the confines of a single month. We continue to be queer all year long, and so should your allyship. Being an ally doesn’t just start in June and end in July—it’s a long-term commitment that should be baked into a brand’s core values, not just its seasonal marketing.
If your brand is serious about allyship, then it’s time to move past the one-month performative virtue signalling and start putting in the real work, consistently. Here’s how to support the community all year long, not just when it’s fashionable.
1. INTERNAL CULTURE IS THE STARTING LINE
When brands create environments where LGBT+ employees can thrive, they demonstrate their commitment to diversity and equity beyond public-facing campaigns. Before a brand can support the LGBT+ community externally, it needs to ensure inclusivity within its own walls. Internal culture is the foundation upon which authentic external support is built. This means:
- Creating a safe, affirming workplace where LGBT+ employees feel respected, included and valued for who they are. Something as small as putting your pronouns in your work email can make a world of difference to a colleague.
- Providing comprehensive benefits that support LGBT+ staff, such as inclusive healthcare coverage, mental health support and family leave policies that recognize all kinds of families.
- Encouraging Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for queer employees to connect, share experiences and influence company policy.
- Training leadership and staff on LGBT+ inclusion through workshops, seminars and regular sensitivity training. Learn how to spot discrimination and unconscious bias and stop it.
- Check your policies. Are they inclusive of people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities? Do you use gender-neutral language? Are you up to date with best practices?
2. PASS THE MIC
Authentic representation comes from inclusion at all levels of creative development and decision-making. When brands elevate LGBT+ voices with intention, they foster real visibility and empowerment. Representation matters, but tokenism is not the goal. Elevate queer voices and give them the platform to tell their stories. Support should go beyond surface-level inclusion and extend to meaningful amplification of LGBT+ voices:
- Hire queer creators, consultants and influencers throughout the year, not just for Pride campaigns.
- Feature LGBT+ individuals in campaigns as central figures, not sidekicks or stereotypes. Tell their stories with depth, authenticity and respect.
- Ensure diversity within the LGBT+ representation, including Black, brown, trans, disabled, and neurodivergent voices. Being queer is not a monolith, and all too often these voices are muted even within our own community.
- Collaborate with LGBT+ talent behind the scenes as well—writers, directors, producers and strategists whose perspectives shape the narrative.
3. WALK THE WALK
Don’t just write a cheque in June—build meaningful relationships and commit to ongoing contributions. Supporting the community means putting your money, resources and influence where your mouth is. Visibility is a great starting point, but actions speak louder than rainbows. One of the most impactful ways a brand can support the LGBT+ community is through tangible support:
- Donate consistently to grassroots LGBT+ organizations, especially those led by and serving the most marginalized groups, such as trans people of colour, LGBT+ youth and asylum seekers.
- Form long-term partnerships with local initiatives that offer housing, healthcare, education or legal support to queer individuals.
- Offer pro bono services, marketing help or physical space to queer-led nonprofits or community groups.
- Match employee donations to LGBT+ causes and provide paid volunteer time for staff to give back.
4. AVOID RAINBOW-WASHING
Allyship should be about impact, not optics. It’s easy to slap a rainbow on a product and call it allyship, but we see through your empty performative gestures. Brands must critically assess their intentions and actions:
- Are you profiting off Pride merch? Cool. Pay it forward by giving it back to the LGBT+ organisations in need.
- Check your receipts. For instance, donating to anti-LGBT+ politicians or partnering with discriminatory vendors undermines your public support.
- Is your Pride campaign centred on celebration or commodification? Celebrating the community is great, but using Pride only as a sales tool is exploitative. Ask yourself, “Is this for the community or me?”
5. EDUCATE AND ENGAGE
Using your platform for education not only supports the community but also builds a more informed and inclusive customer base. Brands have immense power to shape public discourse. Rather than using your platform just to sell products, use it to spark conversations and share knowledge:
- Highlight LGBT+ history and figures, especially those whose stories are often overlooked.
- Promote awareness days beyond Pride, such as Transgender Day of Visibility, National Coming Out Day or Asexual Awareness Week.
- Share educational resources on issues affecting the community, from anti-trans legislation to HIV stigma to queer mental health.
- Host events, panels or Q&As with LGBT+ leaders and activists. Let your audience hear directly from the community.
6. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
Accountability is a cornerstone of trust. The more open and honest a brand is, the more credibility it builds with the LGBT+ community. No brand is perfect. What sets true allies apart is their willingness to listen, learn and improve:
- Take responsibility when you misstep. Apologize sincerely, acknowledge what you did wrong and explain what you’re doing to make it right.
- Invite and accept feedback from LGBT+ individuals and communities, especially when it’s uncomfortable. Centre their experiences and concerns. Growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone.
- Audit your brand’s practices regularly to ensure your allyship isn’t just symbolic but actionable.
- Remain transparent about your efforts, challenges and progress. Share both wins and lessons learned.
7. REFLECT ALLYSHIP IN YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Inclusivity in offerings shows that you see LGBT+ people not just as a target market but as valued individuals. Consider how your actual offerings can be more inclusive:
- Design with everyone in mind. This includes things like gender-neutral fashion, size inclusivity, inclusive makeup shades or non-gendered language in fitness or health services.
- Offer customization where it matters—like name and pronoun options, especially in apps, customer service or fitness settings.
- Train your frontline staff to be inclusive and respectful. A single interaction can make or break someone’s experience. The first impression is the strongest.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Pride started as a protest, not a parade. Supporting the LGBT+ community is not a branding opportunity—it’s a responsibility. It takes ongoing effort, humility and intention. If you want to be an ally, you need to do the work year-round. That means listening, learning, investing, and taking a stand even when it’s not easy or profitable. Especially when it’s not. So don’t just change your logo in June. Be the brand that shows up when it counts—every single day. We notice. And we remember.
Tim Lagman is certified by the American Board of Sexology and is based in Toronto, Canada. He is the host of the award-winning podcast Sex Ed with Tim.
