As LGBTQ+ movements started gaining more visibility in the social and political arena, an increasing number of organizations expressed their intentions to support those minority groups. For instance, Passy (2017) states that in 2017 New York City Pride had “61 corporate sponsors, 13 promotional partners, and 31 media sponsors”. However, such a trend among American corporations has raised two distinctive questions concerning the essence of corporate sponsorship of LGBTQ+ movements. On the one hand, people are skeptical whether the firms show their support to the latter community in order to facilitate social and cultural changes rather than advertise their brands. On the other hand, there are concerns about the impact of corporate sponsorship on liberationist versus assimilationist views, goals, and activities within the LGDTQ+ community. Thus, the current essay seeks to discuss the latter issue in more detail.
It is probable that the support from the corporate world would only increase the gap between the members of LGDTQ+ groups. Indeed, increased assistance from management in the workplace and successes in the political arena, such as the legalization of same-sex marriages, would make more and more people comfortable with less radical views. Conversely, other groups with underrepresented interests would advocate for more liberationist views. In this regard, Walmsley’s (2016) observations during New York City Pride seem to provide good illustrative evidence for the argument above. The author says that during the parade, there were two separate groups of the LGBTQ+ community. The first gathering consisted of predominantly white, middle- or upper-class gays and lesbians, who had a fancy party, whereas the other – consisted of marginalized bisexuals, transgender, and people of color who had a more humble festivity. Therefore, it is fair to claim that corporate sponsorship may further increase the gap between people who support liberationist or assimilationist views and goals.
Overall, this paper intends to present evidence of why the organization’s sponsorship can lead to the increasing gap between LGBTQ+ community members of liberationist and assimilationist views. It was argued that the success in achieving certain rights and increased corporate acceptance and support would make more people have less radical beliefs concerning the structure of society. However, more marginalized individuals would, contrary, lean toward liberationist views.
References
Passy, J. (2017). Why LGBT pride festivals have become increasingly corporate. Market Watch. Web.
Walmsley, C. (2016). The queers left behind: How LGBT assimilation is hurting our community’s most vulnerable. Huff Post. Web.