“I’ve been a small business owner my whole life,” Miki Agrawal, Tushy’s founder, told Ad Age. “And so I have such a raging passion for supporting small businesses and how it’s literally the backbone of America. And to support LGBTQ businesses is even more important and empowering because it really does celebrate true equality.”
Some brands are looking to ensure that when nightlife returns full force, it will be a more inclusive and welcoming industry than before. Miller Lite teamed up with Equality Federation, a social justice group that supports state-based advocacy organizations across the nation, for “Miller Lite Open & Proud.”
The campaign pledges to provide non-discrimination training to help more than 55,000 bars become safer for LGBTQ+ patrons. The team will host town halls across the country and develop training materials to distribute by the end of 2022. Miller Lite will also donate $250k to Equality Federation.
Read about other campaigns from The Art of Shaving, Jägermeister and Skyy Vodka benefiting queer nightlife.
Real people, real stories
Many companies chose to let their usual branding and language take the backseat this June, instead letting real LGBTQ+ people tell their real stories through their marketing. Some of our favorite campaigns this Pride centered queer voices to both inspire and enlighten.
In tune with the explosive popularity of shows such as FX’s “Pose” and HBO Max’s “Legendary,” Reebok teamed with iconic ballroom troupe the House of Ninja to not only give viewers a primer on the world of voguing, but also to highlight the queer legacy of the house, its founder Willi Ninja and its modern family of performers.
Rocking the unisex Reebok All Types of Love gear, the members of House of Ninja dance, strut and share why ballroom created a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community in the mini-documentary “Fierceness Isn’t Born. It’s Made,” created with Hype Empire. In addition to the film, Reebok donated $75k to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a practice dedicated to ensuring the safe and discrimination-free expression of gender identity.
