At the beginning of last June, we colored our logo in rainbow colors and like every year, we felt a certain satisfaction from openly supporting the LGBTQ+ communities.
And then, in mid-June, I encountered numerous social media posts concerned about rainbow washing. About brands using the rainbow flag for shallow marketing purposes and weakening it as a symbol. About just going with the trendy flow for a month. About empty words and no real support.
I felt a little shaken and falsely accused for a minute, and then I took it seriously. I thought about it, tried my best to view these concerns from various angels… and found it easily understandable why one wouldn't want their struggle, their fight, their cause to be exploited and preyed on for someone else's profit. But…
There's a path to every achievement. If the achievement in question is a social change, a change of public opinion or attitude, it is especially true. How can you tell you've become a part of "the normal", that you no longer stand out, unaccepted? You know that when they no longer care about your symbols, when they no longer even notice them. When your symbol only bears a strong meaning and evokes a strong emotion in those to whom it belongs, in those who identify with it.
The more the rainbow flag hangs tall on every building, the more brands turn their logos colorful every June, the more they publicly paint themselves in support of LGBTQ+… the more COMMON the symbol becomes, the more ORDINARY those whom the symbol represents become. Until, eventually, no one looks twice. No one looks away in disgust or even just curiously glances, no one notices. Until no one has the need to say anything at all about rainbows unless the rainbow is in the sky and appears extraordinarily bright on that day.
We are LGBTQ+ allies and we color our logo every June.
You are free to be anything you are with us. AHAVA means LOVE. And love is love.
Sincerely,
Emily Williams
Emily's-POV
About Pride Month & Rainbows
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