How to Celebrate Pride Month on Social Media

 How to Celebrate Pride Month on Social Media

Every June, queer people around the world recognize and celebrate Pride Month, a time for the LGBTQIA+ community to embrace who they are, celebrate their accomplishments, and reflect on their struggles — past and present.

Table of Contents

 

What Pride is Really About

Pride is more than just a parade that happens once a year. In fact, it is deeply entrenched in the queer liberation movement — one of the most famous events being the Stonewall Riots back in June 1969. Fed up with police persecution and demanding to live openly and freely as their true selves, members of the queer community began to demonstrate at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in New York City.

What Does LGBTQIA+ Mean?

LGBTQIA+ is an initialism that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual. The “plus” denotes other members of the queer community whose identity isn’t necessarily reflected with these letters. In Canada, it’s common to use 2SLGBTQ+, taking into consideration Indigenous two-spirit people.

How to Acknowledge and Celebrate Pride Month on Social Media in 2023

Pride Month isn’t the only time a brand should recognize the queer community on social media. In reality, brands should be putting money and marketing efforts towards visible representation in June… in addition to efforts year-round. These are all questions to consider, and when you are ready to plan a Pride campaign on social media, keep these tips in mind:

1.    Educate Yourself and Your Community

2.    Collaborate With LGBTQIA+ Creators Year-round

3.    Amplify Queer-focused Organizations

 

Social Media for Pride in 2023: Dos and Don’ts

When building out your content calendar for Pride this year (or creating content targeting the queer community in general), keep this checklist in mind: 

Do:

·         Educate yourself and your team on the significance of Pride so your allyship isn’t performative.

·         Understand and use the correct pronouns (and if you don’t know them, ask).

·         Ensure content is intersectional and showcases a spectrum of the diversity existing within the LGBTQIA+ community.

·         Use the Progress Pride Flag, which includes additional colors to denote and represent marginalized communities of color and trans folks.

·         Demonstrate a commitment to authentic allyship throughout the year.

·         Pass the mic to members of the community. 

Don’t:

·         Solely change your brand’s social media icons/logo to a rainbow.

·         Back down in the face of adversity or hateful comments. LGBTQIA+ people aren’t given that luxury in their everyday lives.

·         Use stereotypes of the community. This only panders to negative rhetoric about LGBTQIA+ people.

·         Use the month solely as an opportunity to sell a product.

In the End

Celebrating Pride Month on social media is about doing more than a singular post in June.

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