I might add that as we inch toward June and the beginning of Pride season during the pandemic, corporations need to ask themselves some very tough questions about rainbow capitalism.

Efforts to leverage Pride for profit are always problematic, even fraught, as when corporations who donate heavily to anti-LGBTQ politicians seek to buy good will with queer-positive advertising.

But this summer is set to be especially fraught. In various cities around the world, Pride event organizing committees have been largely co-opted by corporate interests. Organizers in cities like London, NYC, and Manchester are contemplating holding crowded outdoor events funded by corporate money, while charging big bucks for glitzy concerts and dances.

Corporations need to be very cautious, and carefully examine how their rainbow capitalism might backfire on them in situations like this.

Pride did not originate as a party. For many queer people, Pride is at its heart a protest. If corporations think they will be engendering good will and brand loyalty by throwing expensive, potentially super-spreading parties this summer, they should be wary of loud backlash.