Don’t Only Show Up for PRIDE, Have PRIDE All Year Long!

Just as Pride Los Angeles approaches, we should be preparing for another exciting celebration of love, acceptance, and diversity. But we also need to keep in mind that standing up for the LGBTQ+ community is about more than just token acts or symbolic acts. Pride Month is a great time to raise awareness of equality issues and lend support to the LGBTQ+ community, but it’s also critical to continue to be an all-year committed community. Here are five crucial pointers to make sure your support and allyship go far beyond June as the hype grows and marketing campaigns pick up steam. Let’s talk about LGBTQ+ Marketing!

AUTHENTICITY OVER TOKENISM:

Embrace authenticity in your support for the LGBTQ+ community. Steer clear of tokenistic or theatrical acts made just for PR purposes during Pride Month. Rather, over the year, foster sincere relationships and collaborations with LGBTQ+ people and groups. Audiences respond to authenticity much more strongly than they do to simple symbolism.

EDUCATE YOURSELF & YOUR TEAM:

Ensure that your company is dedicated to continuous education and awareness campaigns. Give yourself and your group the skills and information need to properly assist the LGBTQ+ community. This entails being aware of jargon, acknowledging privilege, and keeping up with matters that are currently impacting the community.

INCORPORATE GAY & LESBIAN REPRESENTATION INTO ADVERTISING:

Make sure that, throughout the year, LGBTQ+ presence is a core component of your marketing initiatives rather than an afterthought. Authentically include a variety of LGBTQ+ voices, narratives, and images in your advertisements to represent the wide range of identities that exist within the community. It is important to represent all groups, and inclusive marketing helps different audiences feel like they belong.

Encourage LGBTQ+ Causes Beyond Pride Month: Throughout the year, actively participate in and contribute to LGBTQ+ causes and activities to show your support for the community. This might include sponsoring local events, collaborating with LGBTQ+ nonprofits, or contributing a portion of your earnings to worthy causes. Maintaining support over time shows a sincere desire to advance the rights and welfare of LGBTQ+ people.

FOSTER INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS:

Create welcoming workplaces where LGBTQ+ staff members always feel appreciated, respected, and supported. Adopt procedures and policies that encourage inclusion, equity, and diversity in your company. This entails supplying resources for LGBTQ+ employee support and advocacy, putting non-discrimination rules into place, and giving full healthcare coverage.

As we prepare to celebrate Pride Los Angeles and the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience and achievements, let’s remember that allyship is not confined to a single month but is an ongoing journey of solidarity, advocacy, and support. We can build a more just and affirming society for everyone if we take these suggestions into consideration and make a year-round commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

And, the best ways to show your support: 

• Attend Pride Events
• Volunteer for LGBTQ+ Organizations:
• Shop and Dine at LGBTQ+-Owned Businesses:
• Educate Yourself and Others:

In addition, here are our top 5 events to be at this PRIDE: 

Definitely #1 – Los Angeles – West Hollywood Pride Parade and Festival

• The LA Pride Parade and Festival is one of the largest and most vibrant Pride celebrations in the country. Held annually in West Hollywood, the event features a colorful parade with floats, performances, and marchers from various LGBTQ+ organizations and allies. The festival includes live music, DJ sets, food vendors, art installations, and community booths, offering a day of celebration, solidarity, and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.

Others include: Dyke March, Trans Pride LA, Pride on the Port, and other Pride Month Arts & Culture Events. Plus DTLA Proud usually held in late summer. 

Remember that participating in PRIDE events is not enough; let’s celebrate PRIDE throughout the entire year!

CONTACT BRANDING LOS ANGELES TODAY!

Joella Hopkins, our very own is a fervent supporter of inclusion, equity, and diversity in branding and marketing. Joella brings a plethora of experience and skill to her role as multicultural lead at Branding Los Angeles, a premier branding and marketing agency, guaranteeing that diversity stays at the forefront of all projects. Inspiring genuine change and achieving significant achievements in the business, Joella is dedicated to aiding underrepresented communities by walking the walk. She is PROUD ally in addition to the former Publisher of LGBTWed. She looks forward to speaking with you about DEI in Marketing and LGBTQ Marketing opportunities.