{"id":18353,"date":"2026-06-18T22:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/?post_type=resources&p=18353"},"modified":"2026-06-22T22:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:44:08","slug":"practical-action-over-performativity-reforming-your-pride-efforts","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/practical-action-over-performativity-reforming-your-pride-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical action over performativity:\u00a0Reforming\u00a0your\u00a0Pride efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Georgie Williams<\/strong>, DEI Consultant and Gender Identity Specialist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pride season is officially upon us, and with it come many different approaches to honouring the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights. If you are unsure how to approach Pride month within your organisation, this guide will provide you with pointers on how individuals can demonstrate their commitment to gender and sexuality equality not only this month, but throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Pride about?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pride is a month-long observance of LGBTQ+ history and the ongoing fight for equality that is not contingent on gender or sexual orientation. Many countries celebrate Pride in June, which marks the month of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York, USA. The events of the Stonewall Uprising saw patrons of the Stonewall Inn resisting the continued targeting of LGBTQ+ attendees by New York City’s police. This resistance sparked similar movements across the US and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Pride’s history as a protest is often overlooked, but many activists and advocates use Pride season to rouse people to action and challenge enduring gender and sexual inequalities found locally and around the world. In the UK, the LGBTQ+ rights movement feels increasingly important. Since 2009, the UK’s LGBTQ+ rights ranking has fallen from first place across Europe to 22nd place in 2026 – the lowest ranking of any Western European country. Pride represents an opportunity to celebrate previous years of social progress, but it also reminds us of how far we have to go in the fight for gender and sexuality equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinkwashing vs practical action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, not all Pride efforts and initiatives have equal impact, and if our intentions come from a place of performativity instead of commitment to change, we risk obscuring the meaning of Pride and alienating people within the community from our organisation. There is a gulf of difference between a superficial gesture and an outspoken expression of values. When superficial gestures are used to garner LGBTQ+ support while distracting from poor organisational ethics, we call this pinkwashing. When BMW changed their logo to a rainbow logo for Pride in 2022, they changed it for all regional Twitter (now X) accounts, except their account in the Middle East. BMW’s Middle Eastern office, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is situated in a country where homosexuality remains illegal. When an organisation refuses to support the rights of their employees in a country where their identity is considered illegal – but is happy to profit from business in that country – this obscures a disavowal of human rights through the tactical deployment of a rainbow logo, which is the epitome of pinkwashing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LGBTQ+ inclusion is a year-round commitment: your efforts do not need to be relegated to June. Important dates recognising gender and sexuality diversity exist throughout the calendar year – and there is never a bad time to begin fostering workplace safety, security and dignity for your LGBTQ+ colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is worth noting that in 2026, BMW has not changed any of their logos for Pride. Although this previous performativity demonstrated a low commitment to LGBTQ+ human rights, a complete lack of any acknowledgement is symptomatic of a concerning backslide in that commitment. So how do we differentiate between performativity and pinkwashing, compared to practical action?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, what differentiates the performative from the practical is an essential question. Does it look good to outsiders, stakeholders, or customers, or does it do good for our employees and for the movement towards equal human rights? Rainbow balloons and banners may provide a veneer of progressivism to an organisation and go some way to making LGBTQ+ employees feel welcome. However, when a rainbow display is the extent of any efforts, it detracts from the meaning of Pride as a movement to rally people towards equity and dignity for gender and sexuality diverse peoples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Committing to Pride – small, medium and large changes you can make<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HR’s ability to commit to a Pride-supportive initiative may be contingent on several factors: workload, financial status, and access to free time. If your organisation is limited by any of these factors, you may feel that your individual efforts are not valuable. But this is not the case. Any effort by individuals during Pride can create change, even just by signalling you as a conscientious and compassionate ally to your LGBTQ+ peers. Below is a list of suggested actions you can take to show support this Pride depending on how much you can commit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low commitment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n