It’s day four of pride month, and graphic designers around the Western World are enjoying their overtime pay having rainbowified corporate logos for social media.
For the next four weeks, corporations will proudly display their commitment to inclusivity before throwing that all out the window come July 1.
However, it’s not a universal display of support. Just ask Mercedes-Benz, or BMW, or Cisco…
Indeed, this commitment to all things inclusivity is so supported by large corporations that they simply don’t bother to change their logos for their Arabian followers. Then again, it begs the question: why not?
Well, religious beliefs and cultural traditions across the Middle East mean there are starkly different viewpoints on what people can and can’t do in their own bedrooms. Homosexuality is widely rejected across much of the Middle East to the extent where people are executed simply for their own sexuality. Alas, the pride parades you see in Washington or Denver are non-existent in places like Doha or Jeddah.
So, have the big corporations decided to tackle this injustice and promote a more inclusive society in the Middle East? Well, no, because that would hurt profits.
BMW was asked on X why it was they don’t proudly display the “pride agenda” on their Middle Eastern social media posts, to which the automaker admitted that they were basically just pandering to their western audiences, and wouldn’t bother doing it where it would backfire. “This is an established practice as the BMW Group, which also takes into consideration market-specific legal regulations and country-specific cultural aspects,” BMW said. Admittedly, it is refreshing to see a “woke corporation” admit that they don’t actually have any true principles.
It’s fair to say that such a pathetic response only appeases the shareholders. The director of Gay Men’s Network was one user who was critical of BMW’s response.
Many recognized the levels of virtue signaling corporations go to during pride month, where it’s trendy to don the rainbow colors in countries where such freedom of expression is permitted.
It does, ultimately, showcase that corporations will adapt to whatever suits the market. That’s a hardly a raging endorsement of gay rights if you ask me.
