Capitalism with a Pink hue: Pinkwashing and Pink capitalism

-Bisma Khan

We all remember and cherish the day when section 377 was abolished, but we also remember the storm of rainbow logos put up by brands to show their allegiance to the cause. But will a rainbow Facebook filter help in the liberation of the queer community, which was ostracised and labelled as criminals for decades? Probably not. But it sounds like a good PR move, doesn’t it? Because activism sells, and we all buy it.

Pinkwashing is a process by which conservative and capitalist institutions not only profess support for the queer community but also conceal distressing realities and uncomfortable truths about their brand. Regardless of what happens with the profit that they gain through these ad campaigns, they get the added benefits of engaging with the community without necessarily investing back for the welfare of the community. More often than not, the target audience of these brands is the upper-middle class of the country, who would most certainly buy a product from these supposedly “woke” brands without batting an eye. Because why wouldn’t they? These brands have seemed to crack the code of marketing that activism sells.

Pinkwashing has been a prominent phenomenon in the Indian film industry as well. Many actors make movies on queer issues, portraying queer characters without necessarily contributing to or casting people from the community itself. They make a profit at the expense of these issues for the sake of activism without making any substantial contribution to the cause. These are all PR strategies in disguise that change with the changing public views. If the monumental judgement on section 377 had never been taken, all these brands probably would have never painstakingly redesigned their logos to give them a rainbow hue to cater to a larger audience.

These companies often isolate sexuality from class, race, nationality, gender and religion in order to tell us that equality is possible for all, which we all know is impossible under this capitalistic regime. Not only that, but many companies that come out with this tokenistic activism often have a worrisome human rights record.

Support is always appreciated, but there are better ways of showing solidarity with the queer community than just slapping a rainbow flag on the brand logo. Pragmatism demands the aid of powerful institutions, but at what cost?