The end of this month marks 50 years since New York police raided the Stonewall Inn gay bar, prompting patrons and LGBTQ residents to fight back in a series of riots that ultimately kicked off what was then called the gay liberation movement. A year later, marches to commemorate the riots and celebrate the identities of the agitators inaugurated the annual festivities that became known as "gay pride."
Half a century on, as Pride has evolved into a party-focused, heavily branded affair, the celebration sometimes seems more retail than riot. Rainbow merchandise abounds, and companies often boast the splashiest floats in the parade.
For some in the community, that's a sign of mainstream acceptance. For others, it's a betrayal of the movement's radical roots. However revelers feel about the relationship, Pride celebrations and the corporations that sponsor — and profit off them — are at this point deeply intertwined, with far-reaching consequences.
Five decades after New Yorkers had to fight to keep a single gay bar open, it's time to ask: What happens when Pride is for sale? Read more via Washington Post
LGBTQ people are
pandered to. How do we
translate that into power?
As celebrating Pride gets more
expensive, it’s those who
need it most who are excluded.
John Paul Brammer is the writer of the advice column and forthcoming book “¡Hola Papi!”
Brands aren’t the bad guys.
They pushed LGBTQ acceptance
when few others would.
Thomas Roth is the founder of Community Marketing & Insights, and David Paisley is the firm’s senior research director.
Rainbow apparel purports
queer solidarity. Global supply
chains tell a different story.
Vincent DeLaurentis is a program associate specializing in labor rights at the Worker Rights Consortium and a queer member of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union.
Pride itself has become a
brand, and law enforcement
is using it — undeservedly.
Chinyere Ezie is a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights.