Pride Month looks a lot different this year.
Parades may have been cancelled and big celebrations may have been put on hold, but the true meaning of Pride encompasses so much more than a month or a public display.
“Pride is a movement,” says Melinda Freund, Graphic Designer at Rue Gilt Groupe. “Pride is a time of reflection, assessment, and demanding better. Pride means pushing boundaries and creating space. Pride means demanding justice for queer and trans people of color. Pride is about ensuring an equal opportunity to thrive for everyone in our community.”
This month, Rue Gilt Groupe will honor the LGBTQ+ community for the second year running. Gilt will be offering an exclusive T-shirt with 100% of net proceeds benefitting The Trevor Project, a national organization that that provides essential crisis intervention and suicide intervention to LGBTQ+ individuals under age 25. Rue La La will be directly donating to GLSEN, whose mission is to provide safe and inclusive schools for K – 12 LGBTQ+ students across the U.S.
Under any circumstance, producing a Pride campaign takes a village, but due to social distancing restrictions amid the pandemic, it was even more unique this time around.
“This pandemic has thrown everything we know out the window,” says Art Director Evan Crothers. “With selfie culture at an all-time high, and now quarantined isolation, we had to think completely out of the box. With user generated content, we created VGC – volunteer generated content. For casting, we wanted diversity first and foremost, a mix of RGG employees and outside friends, from allies to drag queens and transgender.”
“The shots turned out great! Better than I could have imagined,” continues Crothers. “It was a great moment, seeing everyone come together, work together, and take their time to be a part of something bigger.”
In addition to a worldwide pandemic and all the restrictions that have come with it, other current events have been top of mind for many businesses running Pride campaigns. The onslaught of news regarding the recent (but definitely not new) atrocities committed against black Americans like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others, has painted Pride Month in a new light. The LGBTQ+ community, myriad businesses, and global citizens as a whole have been compelled to reflect on what Pride truly means – and how deeply the black community has contributed to the LGBTQ+ cause.
“Pride has long been an occasion to celebrate how far we’ve come. I met my husband during Pride. It marks our anniversary. And yet, none of that matters right now,” says Senior Art Director Andrew Gianopoulos.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants,” continues Gianopoulous. “BIPOC paved the way for us. We owe our lives to black queer and black trans people. Marsha P. Johnson and Stormé DeLarverie. People who put their bodies in harm’s way to stand up to injustice and proclaim their authentic selves. No one can speak about Pride without talking about the systematic oppression in the form of police brutality that black people continue to face in America today. These things are interconnected, and they are far from history.”
The intersection between Pride and the black community has been at the forefront of many RGG associates’ minds, and it’s more important than ever that the two issues are discussed in tandem.
“This year, Pride needs to be about supporting our trans and BIPOC community members, specifically our black trans family,” says Assistant Boutique Producer Jimmy Fahey. “Fellow white people in the queer community, we owe so much to the black and trans people who sparked the Pride movement and paved the way for our comfort and, ultimately, our complacency. We have left them out of our fight for equality despite the injustices and violence they face each day. This Pride, I will not be celebrating our wins; I will be fighting harder than ever to ensure those wins are shared by ALL.”
In early June, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at RGG hosted a virtual forum open to all associates as an outlet to discuss the current issues plaguing the black community. RGG also took the momentous step of closing their offices in recognition of Juneteenth, the official celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. Along with the office closure and the scheduled Pride initiatives, increasing awareness, education, and allyship for marginalized communities is a big priority.
“I’m just so proud of this company for the support,” says Creative Director John Camilleri. “And I’m really loving what our charity partners represent. Obviously this year’s Pride campaigns look very different from years past. First COVID, and now everything that’s going on in our country – the exposure of so many racial injustices and everyone rallying together to support the black community.”
“The focus for me, personally, is change,” says Camilleri. “Change for the good. A better future.”
