ADventures in Law

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Many of us have become accustomed to the fact that every June, with the calendar signaling LGBTQ+ pride month, we get the inevitable onslaught of corporate logos incorporating the colors of the rainbow flag. And at the end of June, the logos revert to their less colorful versions. The cynics among us like to focus on the July 1 reversion to the old corporate logos, but many of us are mindful of the fact that these yassified logos – even just for a month – are an enormous change from where we were not too long ago, when so few corporations were publicly recognizing this important month.

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But corporations are reflecting LGBTQ+ issues not just one month a year. Perhaps it’s because we have been watching way too much television for the past year, but we have been struck by the frequency and routine nature of LGBTQ+ representation in your run-of-the-mill linear TV advertising. We can’t tell you how many times we have been half-watching commercials and hit rewind to make sure that was indeed a gay couple we saw in an ad that just played. It happens a lot. Ads for supermarkets show a male couple, with kid in tow, getting groceries. Ads for jewelry show lesbian couples. Clothing ads have trans representation. And of course, lots of ads feature well-known stars from the community, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xVnq31Vk8Y">Lil Nas X</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onqO69dR86w">Dan Levy</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmCl7HHPZ54">Kate McKinnon</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHAiFkPShB0">RuPaul</a>. Let us state the obvious: We weren’t seeing this 10-20 years ago, and it is a big deal – for us and for younger generations. Years ago, any of these ads would have been headlines news; now they are just ads.

We aren’t going to pretend all is good and equality has been achieved. But although we are cynics still, it warms our cold hearts to see all of this representation – from the logos to the ads to the flags and the merch in stores.

Pride Month and the Onslaught of Rainbow Corporate Logos