Or maybe people do? Sometimes it’s not so clear. Being a paid ambassador, being a paid content creator, that gets normalized,” Shrodes said, adding that memes could be “a way to use humor to create some distance from those trends and say, ‘Oh, this is actually kind of weird. “In the social media world that we live in, influencer culture gets normalized. Shrodes said that humor has been used for decades within queer and trans activist movements as a way to question dominant norms. “Especially within queer and queer of color activism, there’s a really long history of using humor to survive and resist interlocking structures of oppression,” Shrodes said, citing the work of activist group ACT UP and Jose Muñoz, a queer theorist who wrote, “Comedy does not exist independently of rage.” “And this year, I’ve been noticing this anti-capitalist, anti-corporate joke around influencer commodification in Pride spaces. “Usually there is a Pride joke that happens around the month of June,” Shrodes said. T-shirts bearing the slogan are available in her online shop.Īddie Shrodes, who recently completed a doctorate in education from Northwestern University, has researched online humor in LGBTQ communities. Her opening line - “Hi, gay!” - became internet shorthand for corporate pandering.
![gay pride flag meme gay pride flag meme](https://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/2404597/85978106.jpg)
In 2021, comedian Meg Stalter uploaded a video of herself playing a representative of a butter shop making a clumsy attempt to court gay customers. These corporate initiatives are familiar enough that they’ve become common fodder for satire.
#Gay pride flag meme pdf#
A PDF of the image is available for download on Ikea’s website. Ikea is also encouraging customers to take selfies with the company’s “HOME PRIDE HOME” cross-stitch design. Throughout June, Ikea is donating proceeds from sales of its rainbow shopping bags to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization that focuses on the LGBTQ community.
![gay pride flag meme gay pride flag meme](https://i.redd.it/y38662xp4he31.png)
Raytheon Technologies released a statement Wednesday outlining its commitment to its LGBTQ workers and noting that the company “is regularly recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the best places for LGBTQIA+ employees to work.” “LIVE YÁÁÁS” is fictitious, but Taco Bell does have an LGBTQ-focused employee resource group called “Live Más Pride” and is sponsoring a 10-show drag tour hosted at five of its Taco Bell locations.ĭoorDash is hosting several events for employees this month that include drag bingo, Pride trivia and a donation and letter-writing campaign in support of trans people via the organization Point of Pride. Musk is still in talks to buy Twitter although the deal has stalled while he verifies how many false or spam accounts there are on the platform.Notably, each of the corporations mentioned has its own 2022 Pride campaign underway. The outlet noted that car companies like BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have previously changed their logos for Pride Month but not for its regional brands in the Middle East or Asia. “Such contradictions do not go unnoticed on social media, drawing questions and even mockery of brands that couldn’t keep their messaging consistent across markets,” the article stated. Psychologist and author Joshua Coleman told USA Today that while “on the one hand, it promotes acceptance in the sense that it’s normalising something that does need to continue to be normalised and accepted”, there is also “a kind of annoyance about the rank hypocrisy of some of these companies, which in the past might have actively discriminated against the LGBT community”.įortune magazine has noted that many companies who change their logos in Western countries do not extend this display of support to countries where LGBTQ+ rights are limited. It has become standard practice for businesses to adopt the colours of the rainbow flag for Pride Month, which takes place in June each year.Īnd each year, it’s pointed out that many companies are merely pandering and attempting to profit from Pride Month, a sad phenomenon known as rainbow capitalism.
![gay pride flag meme gay pride flag meme](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/81/b2/fb/81b2fbb3f18d596697780d3e10393332.jpg)
Though debate rages about Musk’s intentions, many agree his meme is not far off the mark. “The cost of hate speech further erodes basic safety and civility across society.” Rainbow capitalism In a statement following news of his takeover bid, GLAAD president Sarah Ellis said: “LGBTQ people are at disproportionate risk for harassment online and violence in real life,” she added. LGBTQ+ groups have also expressed concerns around Musk’s plan to buy Twitter after he said he would prioritise “free speech”.