For the LGBTQ+ community, Pride Month is a time of visibility, celebration and advocacy. But for corporate communications and marketing teams, acknowledging Pride can be a balancing act.
Being a true ally to the LGBTQ+ community in today’s fraught environment is more important than ever. Actions speak louder than words, even for people whose job is to communicate. Colleagues from our firm’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group share some guidelines on best practices of allyship:
Don’t be performative. Support for the LGBTQ+ community should first and foremost be rooted in the organization’s values and policies.
Do and say what you mean. Not every organization needs to participate in Pride. A company that doesn’t broadly support its LGBTQ+ employees or the community 11 months of the year shouldn’t think a splash in June will fix that – it usually backfires.
Take a stand and stick to it. As we’ve seen with Bud Light and the L.A. Dodgers, walking back statements or activities supporting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in response to random vocal opponents, typically makes things much worse.
It’s okay to ask questions. It’s important to avoid missteps and unforced errors that provide fodder for criticism. Vet corporate policies and marketing plans with LGBTQ+ employees and listen to all ideas, even if they don’t align with a preconceived notion of allyship.
Mistakes are forgivable; not fixing them isn’t. Develop a strategic and systematic social issues management program to prepare for the most problematic and likely risk scenarios, and develop mitigation plans for each. Assign leaders and liaisons among executives, marketers and the community, give them responsibility and hold them accountable.
Finally, remember: safety first. Threats of physical harm, destruction of property or behavior that endangers employees and/or customers should always be taken seriously and addressed immediately, even if doing so means ending a visible act of support. But be clear that your support for the LGBTQ+ community has not wavered in the face of these threats.