Good Morning Washington: Using Conversation Culture to Address Rainbow-Washing

Watch the interview here on ABC 7 News DC.

Each June, people across the world celebrate Pride Month. Rainbow flags appear everywhere to symbolize diversity and unity among the LGBTQ+ community.

Yet increasingly during Pride each year, we're now seeing more and more major corporations turn their logos into a rainbow. Though this outward display is meant to hop on the bandwagon of solidarity, in reality many of these companies are taking advantage of the buying power of the LGBTQ+ community, or even taking actions that are harmful to LGBTQ+ rights. 

What's now called #RainbowWashing is a form of performative allyship, which is when a person or organization signals support of a marginalized group without meaningful action to back it up.

As a voice and communication consultant inside companies, I've seen how issues like this create a corporate culture where voices are suppressed. When a company only markets their values without actually embodying them, we're seeing an instance of speech out of alignment with actions. 

On June 24th, 2021, I appeared on Good Morning Washington to share how the Conversation Culture structure can help organizations become accountable for truly supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

Step 1: Pause and check in with your body. Is it safe for you to have this conversation? If not, this is what allies are for! 

Step 2: Get curious and listen. You may think you're right, but you'll never get on the same page if you approach the conversation with that attitude. 

Step 3: Picture yourself on the same team. You may have different interests in this conversation, but you all want a healthy world for your children and a safe place to work.

Step 4: When all else fails, be kind. These conversations don't change things overnight. Build bridges through kindness and respect to keep the conversation going. 

Watch the full appearance here on the Good Morning Washington ABC News site.