How Brands Can Show Up for Creators this Pride

As we hit June, Director Aoifa Smyth discusses how brands can avoid tokenism this Pride Month.

Every June, the rainbow flags come out in full force. From product packaging to social media logos, Pride Month has become a major moment for brands to showcase their support for the LGBTQIA+ community. But as the visibility of corporate Pride grows, so does the scrutiny and rightly so.

Performative allyship, where brands show support only when it’s convenient or profitable doesn't go unnoticed. It risks alienating the very community it claims to support. One of the most common missteps is Tokenism. Featuring a queer creator or slapping a rainbow on a product without any real engagement, investment or value.

So how can brands do better?

1. Involve queer creators early and often

Don’t bring LGBTQIA+ voices in just to review or endorse a campaign at the end, bring them in to help shape it. Whether it’s concept development, scripting, or creative direction, queer creators bring lived experience, cultural insight and authenticity to back up a campaign.

2. Invest beyond June

Representation shouldn’t have an expiration date. Work with queer creators throughout the year and not just during Pride month. Support their projects, elevate their voices during other cultural moments, and build long-term relationships rather than one-off collabs.

3. Pay fairly and promote meaningfully

Queer creators, often face barriers in the creator economy. Pay them fairly for their work, their audience, and their impact.

4. Back your message with action

If your brand is showing up for Pride, make sure your policies, partnerships, and internal practices align. Are you supporting LGBTQIA+ organisations, are your workplace benefits inclusive and is your team diverse?

5. Listen, learn, and adapt

Even well-intentioned campaigns can misstep. Be open to feedback. Queer creators aren’t just there for approval, they’re collaborators, not compliance officers.

Pride is not a marketing moment. It’s a movement. And movements are driven by people who live these identities every day, not just when the calendar turns to June. By building genuine, long-term partnerships with queer creators, brands can move from tokenism to true allyship and create work that resonates far beyond the rainbow.

Explore our LQBTQI roster here and get in touch for more information.