Being in social media means being both critic and creator, and when it comes to largely, celebrated days of occasion, it only compounds.
As a queer person, I dread Pride month, especially from a social media aspect. I don’t know about you, but the pinkwashing “Hi Gay” attitude from corporate America is too much.
The capitalistic, performative allyship is exhausting, and frankly, reinforces the notions around the exploitation of queer identities for cis-heteronormative society…but that’s a conversation for another time.
You’re here to figure out, what the hell do I post for Pride month??
Let’s clear that up.
Don’t.
If you’re a brand scrambling to make a post for Pride month, panicking, trying to round up all your “gays and theys” for content ideas, here’s what you should post: nothing. If your allyship is restricted to the month of June, if your content/themes for June are all rainbows all the time, but come July you’re back to giving money to hateful organizations (cough cough, here’s looking at you Coca Cola, Wal-Mart, AT&T and all the billion other corporations), either put up or shut up.
Unauthentic voices of support do more harm than good, and let’s be honest, if you’re not contributing to the conversation, if you really don’t have anything to add, don’t insert yourself.
Pride is a month of joy and love, of anger and loss, it showcases the queer experience, the foundations of queer history, and it brings focus, and visibility to the triumphs and tragedies faced by LGBTQIA+ people, past and present.
Changing your logo to a rainbow is not enough, in fact it is literally nothing, it means nothing. If you don’t champion equality and equity, if you don’t use your voice for change all year long, it’s really simple, don’t post.
Be a F*cking Ally
“But I am an ally”
Okay, great, congratulations? I’m kidding. So let’s say you don’t participate in performative allyship, that you do actually use your platform to uplift and support queer people, but you’re still wondering, what do I post? What should I post?
One of the most powerful things allies can do during Pride Month is listen. Use your space, your platforms to listen and educate yourself, and your audience, by sharing content, resources, and anything that you can that’s made by LGBTQIA+ people. Story shares, links, GoFundMe’s, etc.
The duality of Pride Month is that while it is a “feature” in the heteronormative calendar year, it is a time for exposure, for queer creators, activism, businesses, you name it. Hell, even for just being reached out to from friends and family. That is the reality of this month for so many of us, because frankly, it’s like until June comes around, people ignore our existence.
Content curation is your most powerful tool. Just share. As an ally, you don’t have to make a huge post denouncing homophobia and transphobia, because, well for starters, that doesn’t really accomplish anything. If you feel you have to make a big huge post about how you’re not homophobic or transphobic, it sets an uneasy tone, you know? We assumed that you weren’t but now, now we’re not completely convinced.
You know what they say, sharing is caring, so let the share button be your friend.
Okay, so what do I do now?
Okay, so you’re still here? You read through all of that and yet you’re still wondering.
A big part of allyship is education. Learn how to cultivate spaces of safety for marginalized communities, take the time to dive into your practices as a whole. Are they equitable? Do they create barriers instead of open doors for inclusion and visibility? Your “content” isn’t the only thing you should be reviewing through a lens of equity, diversity and inclusion.
If you’re looking for a place to start and/or build upon your education, here are a few resources you can start with.
Resources
Gender-Neutral Pronouns 101: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know
What Does It Mean to be Transgender?
GLAAD Accelerating Acceptance 2021 Report
Info and Resources for LGBTQ Teens and Allies
After Pride: 6 Ways Your Brand Can Be an Ally to the LGBTQIA+ Community Year-Round
Self-awareness is key, allyship is a work in progress, especially for those within the community, myself included, always.
Every day I wake up and try to do right by a community that gave me a space, that gave me courage to be where I am today, to be who I am. And that’s all this is, a way to keep the conversations going, to put action into creating a world that doesn’t breed hate, in real and online spaces.
Yours queerly,
Emrys
