The performative BS that blocks meaningful progress

Welcome to Simply Diversity. This bimonthly letter breaks down key diversity concepts and explains how you can apply them... simply. There are plenty of terms heard ‘round the Internet as we prioritize diversity, inclusion and belonging in everything we do. This newsletter explains what these concepts are, why they’re important, and how to practice them. 

I think it’s a bunch of performative BS. 😬

That’s my honest opinion on companies that overlay their logos with rainbows for Pride Month. 

Does that sound harsh? Does it give you a twinge of defensiveness? Let’s talk about it. 

Break it down: 

Rainbow overlays and flags are nice for solidarity, sure. And public support for human rights causes, through imagery, can be an important signal of your company's values. 

But (and you can surely guess where this is going) if the only thing you do to “support” LGBTQ+ employees is slap up some rainbows in June, you’re doing it wrong. 

That’s not support or solidarity, that’s face-saving and woke-washing. And while you might fool a few people with your performative BS, anyone worth their salt will see through the posturing and take their talent, business, and respect elsewhere.

Your queer employees and customers know if your company spends tens of thousands of dollars on advertising, quibbling over Pride-themed marketing campaigns, and spends the other eleven months ignoring or outright oppressing LGBTQ+ people and causes.

Do Something Different:

Okay Stacey, I get that performative allyship is bad. But Pride month has already started, and I can’t go back in time. What should my company do going forward?

1. Know your demographics. Do you even know how many LGBTQIA employees you have? (Note: I didn’t say IF). Conduct a demographic survey for the purpose of identifying numbers broadly, not individuals specifically. Once you have a better idea of who you’re designing policies for, you can create ones that speak to the employees who actually work for you instead of the employee base you’ve made assumptions about. 
2. Implement inclusive policies for ALL employees. Provide professional development, personal leave, flexible work options. In fact, I’d love to see companies spend their entire “Pride Month budget” on such efforts. Not only do they make a quantifiable difference to your employees, but talking about them is a powerful “marketing” message, too.
3. Be consistent in the messaging you permit. Do you permit employees to wear rainbow flag shirts and pins? Then I hope you permit BLM, reproductive justice, and other human rights messaging in your dress code, OR that your dress code prohibits all of it. There is no room for inconsistency. 
4. Make pronoun use and education mandatory. My colleague Shane Walley has a ton of free resources and recommendations about pronoun inclusion here.

I cringe at the amount of performative allyship that crops up every June. And while Pride Month is absolutely something to celebrate, investing in your employees equitably all year long is more important — and impactful.

We could all use some good news so tell us, has your employer made a meaningful effort to support LGBTQ+ employees all year, not just in June? Please share in the comments! Let’s share some inspirational stories. There are companies doing a good job of this, so let’s celebrate them.

About Stacey Gordon and Rework Work:

Stacey Gordon is Executive Advisor and Diversity Strategist of Rework Work where she and her team coach and counsel executive leaders on DEI strategies for business, while offering a no-nonsense approach to unconscious bias education for the broader employee population. Stacey’s unconscious bias course was the most popular course on LinkedIn Learning platform in 2021 and it has also been translated into multiple languages. Stacey is also the founder and host of the Rework Work Community, a free diversity, equity, and inclusion learning and practice space for professionals. You can find Stacey’s book, UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work, at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and wherever books are sold.