There was a really interesting observation and subsequent conversation at a recent OutBritain online networking event that also tracked what we have been noticing: that there appears to be less outward support across LinkedIn and other social channels by businesses towards Pride Month this year.

And the questions that kept coming up were:

Do you think it’s because of a worry that businesses will look like they are just doing it as a marketing tick-box exercise?

Or is it that allyship is reducing?

Or simply a fear of “getting it wrong”?

Any one of those is a huge concern, to be honest.

Most people would agree that Pride Month should never be treated as a have-to-do, marketing thing.

But we also don’t want businesses, organisations and allies who genuinely care to hide away because they are worried their support will not be “perfect”.

There’s a big difference between a business using Pride Month as a convenient content moment or performative inclusion and a business trying, carefully and sincerely, to show support.

And there’s also a big difference between choosing not to make a hollow gesture and quietly disappearing from the conversation altogether. That’s the balance businesses are having to navigate.

And it’s not always an easy one.

Pride has become a more sensitive communication moment

Businesses and their leaders are facing a question that is both simple and surprisingly complicated.

Do we say something for Pride Month?

For some, the answer is immediate. Yes, of course. Change the logo. Share the post. Celebrate the team. Support the community. Make the message visible.

For others, there’s hesitation.

Not because they don’t care, or because they don’t support the LGBTQIA+ community.

But because Pride Month has become a more sensitive communication moment than it used to be.

There’s the worry of looking performative, saying the wrong thing, being accused of rainbow-washing, or turning something deeply personal, political and human into a piece of content.

And increasingly, we think there is another worry sitting underneath it all.

The worry of showing support publicly and getting it wrong.

We have a lot of sympathy for businesses here.

Many small businesses, founders, marketing teams and organisations are not trying to exploit Pride Month. They are trying to navigate something that feels important, emotional and public, often without a huge communications team or inclusion strategy behind them.

They may care deeply but not know the right language to use.

They may want to support but feel nervous about what to say.

They may worry that if they say something, someone will ask what else they are doing.

But maybe that question isn’t something to fear.

Maybe it’s the point.

If someone asks what you do beyond Pride Month, that does not have to be a threat. It can be a useful prompt. It can help you look at your business more honestly. It can help you move from message to behaviour.

Because allyship doesn’t require perfection. It requires willingness.

A willingness to listen, learn, be consistent and keep going after the June calendar moment has passed.

That’s where trust then begins. Not in getting every word perfect. But in showing that your support is genuine enough to keep working at it.

Allyship matters

There’s a danger, when we talk about rainbow-washing, that businesses hear only the warning and not the invitation.

Don’t be performative.

Don’t make it tokenistic.

Don’t just post and disappear.

But we also need to say this clearly: allyship still really matters. Visible support still really matters.

For the LGBTQIA+ community, especially those who may not feel safe, seen or fully accepted in every part of their life, a message of support can mean more than some businesses realise.

It says: You are welcome here.

It says: We have thought about this.

It says: You don’t have to leave part of yourself at the door.

Of course, a post can’t do all the work. A rainbow logo cannot create culture on its own. A Pride campaign cannot replace policy, safety, representation or everyday respect.

But visibility still has immense value.

And when businesses quietly withdraw from public support, even with good intentions, that absence can be felt. A lot.

Meaningful support doesn’t have to be huge

One of the reasons businesses get stuck is that sometimes they think Pride support has to look “big”.

A campaign. A launch. A major statement. A full content plan. A polished video. A bold brand moment.

It can be those things. But it really doesn’t have to be.

For many businesses, especially smaller ones, meaningful support might look much more grounded.

You could share why Pride matters to you as a business. You could highlight LGBTQIA+ voices, creators, suppliers, employees or community organisations (with care and their consent, of course!). You might choose to donate to or fundraise for a relevant charity, review your policies, look again at your language, or check whether your hiring processes and employee and client experience are as inclusive as you intend them to be.

It might also mean looking at the process parts of your business. Your website. Your forms. Your onboarding. Your internal communications. The places where people can be included properly or unintentionally excluded.

And sometimes, meaningful support starts with some simple honesty.

“We know we are still learning, but our support is genuine.”

That kind of message, when backed up by action, is often far more credible than a perfect-sounding post that disappears on 1 July.

The better question is what sits behind the logo

Changing your logo for Pride Month is not automatically wrong.

Sharing a supportive post is not automatically performative.

Using rainbow colours is not automatically meaningless.

The problem isn’t the visible gesture itself.

The problem is when the visible gesture is all there is.

So, the better question is not only “Should we change the logo?”

It’s: What sits behind it?

If you post about allyship, can your employees, clients, partners and community recognise that in their experience of you?

If you say everyone is welcome, have you thought about what welcome actually feels like?

That’s where businesses need to spend more time.

Because Pride Month is not only about what you say publicly. It’s about whether the public message matches the private reality.

And if it doesn’t yet match perfectly, that’s not a reason to say nothing.

It means you should be honest about where you are and committed to doing better.

People don’t need businesses to pretend they have everything sorted.

But they do need businesses to mean what they say.

Support has to live beyond June

If Pride Month is the only time a business talks about LGBTQIA+ inclusion, people will notice.

We’re not saying you need to talk about Pride every week or that every business must become an inclusion commentator. And it doesn’t mean forcing identity into every message.

It means inclusion should be visible in the way the business works.

We’re talking about year-round support that feels achievable, practical and real.

From the suppliers you choose to the people you platform.

In how you respond to discrimination and whether your team feels safe raising concerns.

The language you use without making a performance of it.

It also means asking whether LGBTQIA+ people are only represented during Pride Month, or whether they are part of the everyday story of your business, your sector and your community.

And sometimes, it can show up in content too.

Because communication is part of culture. What you say, share and choose to make visible tells people what you value.

The answer to rainbow-washing isn’t silence

Support doesn’t have to come from a place of perfection.

A business can care deeply and still be learning. It can support Pride while improving its policies, language and internal culture. It can ask for help, be honest about where it is, and make that support visible without pretending everything is already sorted.

That’s very different from using Pride Month as a marketing exercise.

A tick-box post says, “We have said the thing.”

Meaningful allyship says, “This matters to us, and we know our actions need to reflect it.”

And people can usually feel the difference.

That’s why silence isn’t always neutral.

There will be businesses that decide not to post about Pride Month, and that’s absolutely their choice. No judgement from us!

Sometimes support is happening internally. Sometimes there are conversations, donations, policy reviews or team moments that are not immediately visible online.

But we should also be careful with the idea that saying nothing is always the safer option.

Watching visible support appear to shrink, especially in a climate where inclusion feels increasingly contested, silence can feel like a message too.

That doesn’t mean businesses should post out of a feeling of obligation or guilt.

But it does mean businesses should think carefully before stepping back from visible support simply because the conversation has become more difficult.

Pride Month shouldn’t become a seasonal costume or a moment where businesses appear for the rainbow and disappear for the reality. Or a place where fear of criticism becomes an excuse for doing nothing.

Support just needs to be honest enough, consistent enough and human enough for people to trust that you mean it.

In June.

And in every other month too.