SUMMER | COVER FEATURE
50 years on from Stonewall, Access
examines Pride’s challenges,
ambitions and spirit
Words: Tom Hall
G
ay pride or LGBT+ pride is billed as the
positive stance against discrimination
and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT+) people to
promote their self-affirmation, dignity,
equality rights, increase their visibility as a social group,
build community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender
variance...
Access attended Pride in London for the first time
on 6 July, and was overwhelmed by the scale of the
event. And, while the event is not without its critics –
highlighted by some poignant words from Lyall Hakaraia
in this feature – its notable that the London event stands
in contrast to the backwards views of much of the world,
as shown in our chart on p12.
The critics voices have been particularly loud this year,
and were perhaps summed up at Cannes Lions by the
CEO of Unilever, Alan Jope who said: “Green-washing,
purpose-washing, cause-washing, woke-washing. It’s
beginning to infect our industry. It’s polluting purpose.”
If brands truly want to earn the right to play, words
alone are not enough, argues Amplify’s founder Jonathan
Emmins. “They needed to be prepared to back it up with
their actions...”
Emmins however, is keen to call out proactive uses of
the Pride or LGBT+ monikers. “Starbucks, for example,
offer extended healthcare benefits for their transgender
workers. Gap and Levi issued a joint statement against
the Indiana law which could protect business owners
who refuse service to LGBT+ customers. And companies
like IKEA, Paypal, Microsoft, and Uber are making
commitments in-house, scoring a perfect 100 in the
Corporate Equality Index, which measures workplace
parity for LGBT+ employees.”
This feature gives voice to Pride’s organisers and
critics alike, but also points to alternative LGBT+ events
that happily sit and thrive in the event mix.
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