Corporations, Pride month, and cosplay radicals
Employment security for sexual minorities is more important than cosplaying radicals.
CORPORATONS PRIDE MONTH AND COSPLAY RADICALS
So, it is Pride Month and major and minor corporations are participating and selling pride products.
The whining about corporations in Pride events and marketing Pride products has begun by your usual cosplay (costume + play) radicals. The cosplay radical thinks, “Corporations are evil, right!” and “I’m a radical Gay, right?” and so let’s complain about corporations in Pride, and I can show my straight radical friends that I am radical just like them and I am bringing the radical mission to the benighted Gay community.
First thing, corporations are amoral. They aren’t good or evil, they are about profit through the provision of goods or services. Of course, being amoral they are willing to do things that are not good, except when they fear consequences.
However, the Gay community exists in the here and now, and they exist in society as society exists now. That doesn’t mean that Gays individually shouldn’t complain about different things, or the Gay community should be supporting some aspect of society.
Part of the here and now is having to work in the economy as it exists and not in some future economic system which may never come.
When a major corporation has a float in the Pride parade it sends multiple powerful messages. To managers and employees of the company it sends a message that the sexual orientation non-discrimination section of the personnel handbook isn’t just words without force. They shouldn’t discriminate, probably that “fag” joke isn’t a good idea. The company is investing money to promote a LGBT+ friendly image and a news story about discrimination at their work place would not be appreciated.
Major corporations influence other corporations. Their suppliers likely won’t want to be identified with being anti-Gay. Major corporations have a strong influence on what will be considered normal and standard employment practices. Lesser companies will realize that their employees, and very importantly, potential employees are likely to judge their behavior based on what is considered normal employment practice.
The participation of major corporations in pride has a huge influence on establishing cultural norms for non-discrimination against LGBT+ which is an important material factor in the welfare of Gay people.
When a major corporation participates in Pride parades, Gays at that company are likely to be less closeted and their situation less adverse making for a healthier environment, another important material factor in the welfare of Gay people.
Also, if LGBT at a major corporation have the idea from the parade participation that the non-discriminatory policies are real, they are more likely to report discriminatory behaviors and also directly speak out against a “fag” joke.
Similarly, when a major corporation produces products for pride, like Oreo cookies, or some other product, the Gay community should dispense with the cultural snobbery. Producing a product for Pride establishes that the corporation wishes to have good will with the LGBT groups. The impact on managers, employees and suppliers is the same as if they participated in the parade. It encouraged employees to be less closeted. It establishes a more positive non-discriminatory employment norms for LGBT.
Are these companies our friend? No, they are not. They want to publicize their products and have community good will. The corporations shouldn’t be given a free pass either. Their participation in Pride can be a point of pushing back against them regarding something the corporation is doing. However, this point of pushing back can’t occur unless it is a common practice of corporations participating in Pride.
There could well be individual corporations we don’t want in Pride, but the idea that there should be no corporations and no Pride products is to sacrifice the employment welfare of the entire LGBT community for the ideological views of a segment that is cosplaying radicalism and expects the entire community to accede and be subject to their ideology.
Rejecting corporations should be when the corporation has an anti-Gay agenda such as Coors back in the 1970s and Chick-a-fila has had. (I don’t know what Chick-a-fila’s current status is.) It makes it much easier to subject these corporations to general public censure when many other corporations are participating in Pride and having Pride products and establishing that normative corporate practice is not being homophobic, but to the contrary supportive of LGBT.
A lot of homophobes get really upset with major corporations getting into Pride. This should tell use that this corporate participation makes homophobes feel rejected.
Finally, lets really stop the snobbery with corporate products. I don’t mind critiquing them, but not a wholesale condemnation. These products are often in stores and reach audiences that don’t watch Pride parades or otherwise don’t watch the news. They send a message.