June is Pride Month, a time of celebration, solidarity and action for LGBTQ people and allies and a time to address the ongoing work for acceptance and equality. Celebrated each June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in 1969, Pride Month is a time to uphold our key values of love, acceptance, education, and awareness, while remembering the struggles and victories in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ equality and visibility worldwide. Pride Month is about everyone: no matter who or how we love, or how we identify.
While no action is too small, since awareness of any kind is key to moving forward in acceptance, we’ve outlined a few social media Pride Month campaigns that are directly impacting the LGBTQ community because while solidarity in June is great, action and support year-round is what it’s all about.
SoulCycle
SoulCycle kicked off their “All Souls Welcome” campaign at the start of June to highlight the studio’s LGBTQ+ community of riders and instructors. The campaign includes a series of videos featuring six SoulCycle instructors embodying the spirit of the brand and Pride Month. The peer-selected instructors all identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The campaign helps reiterate that SoulCycle is “an inclusive company all year long,” said their Creative director Roxana Zegan. “That’s why we call our studio the ‘sanctuary’ because it’s a safe space for you to be yourself—no matter who that is,” Zegan continued, adding that the campaign’s authenticity is “so important to us, because we want to celebrate the real LGBTQ+ humans that fearlessly make this brand what it is.”
Levi’s
Levi Strauss & Co. has been celebrating LGBTQ causes for more than 30 years, and this year marks their fifth Pride Collection, which includes suspenders, bandanas, t-shirts, socks and jean jackets ranging from $18 to $148. And 100% of net proceeds will benefit the Harvey Milk Foundation and the Stonewall Community Foundation. They collaborated with influential LGBTQ advocates for Instagram posts featuring their “I AM” collection of t-shirts for Pride.
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
Our client, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) supports inclusivity and diversity in the restaurant industry all year round, as evidence by their recent award honoring transgender activist Michaela Mendelsohn. Watch her story and learn how she founded Trans Can Work, a non-profit organization that creates safe spaces for transgender individuals.
Converse
Every penny of the net proceeds from the Converse Pride Collection designed by Miley Cyrus will support LGBTQ youth community partners globally. You can check out their collection and campaign on Instagram!
How can you get involved? Showing your support on social media is a great way to start!
Instagram unleashed new rainbow background in Type mode, and rainbow versions of the mention, hashtag and location stickers in Stories.
Facebook also added Pride-themed text backgrounds for your News Feed posts. While they’re also activating new masks, stickers and effects in the Facebook Camera.
Tell us how you’re showing your pride this month!
