Raining on the parade: what queer B'lureans want from employers
What is rainbow washing?
The term is used to refer to corporates using pride logos and events during Pride Month to enhance their image without taking meaningful steps to help queer employees. As Veena Kulkarni, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) professional at Road to Utopia, a queer-feminist collective, explains, 'It's when they spend a lot of money on marketing but won't engage with the real issue. Even when we do a sensitisation session, leadership is never involved, it is always at either mid-level management or below.'
Anisha Srikar, 25, notes the performativity of events at a former workplace saying, 'We had webinars on queer people, posters put up, and even a pride playlist – it did not have a major impact on the closeted queer people there or on me, as the only out and proud employee.'
Some are apprehensive of the attention pride events put on employees. 'Having Pride Month celebrated in the office is great, but it brings unwanted attention to us in a place that could turn some people hostile towards us,' says Murtaza, 23, a corporate employee.
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