It’s that time of year for businesses
again. Rainbow flags have been tightly
furled and packed away in a crate
marked “Pride”. IT have swapped out
the rainbow version of the company
logo on the website and everyone
agrees it looks a bit, well, drab now.
It’s true that questions have been
asked about whose bright idea it was
to print the date on the rainbow hi-vis
vests. We could have used them again
next year! But reflective clothing
aside, directors up and down the land
can report to the board that Pride
month was a rip-roaring success.
The box marked “inclusivity”
has been ticked. That’s the company
culture sorted. Or is it?
Of course, it’s a good thing that
businesses are invested in changing
their culture to become more in tune
with the needs of the LGBTQI com-
munity, but I wonder if we are doing
ourselves any favours by gratefully
going along with a corporate celebra-
tion that looks colourful in an annual
review, yet doesn’t always address the
real issues we face in the workplace.
I’d go further and suggest that the
quiet, meaningful cultural shift we
need at work can be drowned out by
a whoop-fest of drag and high-camp
fabulousness choreographed to queer
classics pumped out from giant pink
speakers on floats.
The frantic energy, pounding
positivity and desperation to be seen
to be taking part in Pride month with
real gusto can be a mask that lets
businesses off the hook for the other
11 months.
Complain to your manager about
a laddish culture of “banter” that
makes you uncomfortable and they’ll
look injured. “But look how we sup-
ported Pride month,” they’ll say.
Granted, a float carrying some-
one working at their desk, enjoying
equality of pay and opportunity,
knowing they won’t be discriminated
against and not feeling sick with anxi-
ety about homophobic colleagues,
wouldn’t necessarily draw much of a
crowd along London’s Old Compton
Street. But cultural change is a serious
business. We shouldn’t forget that
once the latex pants with the holes
cut out for your bum cheeks go back
in your knicker drawer, there’s still the
rest of the year to get through.
Cultural change isn’t always big
and showy. It doesn’t wear a pink
boa or need a whistle to announce its
arrival. It’s thoughtful and significant
and it means you can use a picture of
your wedding as a screensaver with-
out fear of recrimination.
Ultimately, a company’s culture
is formed by its values and by the
commitment of the people who work
within that organisation to truly
embrace them.
It’s great that a record number of
businesses took part in Pride this year.
We should applaud them and every
one of our straight sisters and broth-
ers who marched, danced, dragged
and chanted colourfully on our behalf.
But remember to look beyond the
glitter and hold them to account all
year round. At the end of the rainbow
is a company culture that defines how
people act – even when no one is
looking.How to
do Pride
all year
round
KATE BARKER MUSES ON HOW
COMPANIES MIGHT MAKE
MEANINGFUL, LASTING CHANGEKATE BARKER
is a writer, political activist and parent. She
is the founder and owner of the award-
winning London creative agency Dekko.
@Dekko_creative
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