Get Your Rainbow On
The origins of Pride, how Microsoft changes the game and Riot Games' latest signal for inclusivity
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It’s PRIDE Month, a full month dedicated to creating awareness about the inequality members of the LGBTQ+ community face up until today. You might have noticed major companies changing their social media profile pictures to rainbow versions. Did you know that the movement that led into pride month started in June 1969 when homosexuality was still forbidden in the US? Police members would regularly raid LGBTQ+ meeting points and arrest seemingly random people. When police raided a bar called “Stonewall” in Christopher Street, New York on June 28th 1969, people revolted by throwing stones, bottles, and more. Exactly one year later members of the LGBTQ+ community organized a march to remember the riots leading to the creation of the pride parades we know today. This also explains why there is a Christopher Street Day.
A report by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation found that:
LGBTQ+ workers on average only earn 90 cents for every dollar their non-LGBTQ+ colleagues earn.
Transgender women face the largest pay gap as they approximately only earn 60 cents for every dollar a typical worker earns.
The Power of Rainbow Washing
While pride month started as a protest to create awareness for the inequality members of the LGBTQ+ community face, most companies see pride as a marketing tool, often referred to as “rainbow washing” Urban Dictionary defines rainbow washing as: “The act of using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to advertising, apparel, accessories, landmarks, et cetera, in order to indicate progressive support for LGBTQ+ equality (and earn consumer credibility) - but with a minimum of effort or pragmatic result.” In a nutshell: Companies try to make profit off of pride-branded articles during pride month but often do not show any support or interest for the queer movement during the other 11 months of the year. Also, did you know that several companies who change their social media profile pictures to rainbow versions during pride month do not do the same for their middle eastern social media profiles?
Word of the week
Heteronormativity is a concept, which constructs heterosexuality and gender binary (cis-gender) as the societal norm. Everyone who is deviating is put at a disadvantage.1
Inven Global Called Out Microsoft
Inven Global recently called out tech giant Microsoft. While Microsoft announced a pride coloured controller at a price point that is at least $20 more expensive than the regular version, Inven Global said “Microsoft keep 100% of Pride controller profit while donating just $170k this month”. Inven Global continues: “None of the profits from the controller sales will be donated going forward at the time of writing. Design lab controllers are modified versions of the normal $50 Xbox controller, starting at $70, and rising to $100 or more.” Microsoft brand manager Aleksey Fedorov stated on Twitter that together with employees, Microsoft has donated over $8M to LGBTQIA+ community and nonprofits since last year. You can read Inven Global’s disappointment between the lines, when the article clarifies that “had Microsoft donated the entirety of the $8M themselves, that would represent 0.006% of their annual profit for 2021. [...] The $170,000 donation works out to be roughly 0.00014% of their 2021 profit.”
Nevertheless, Microsoft has been at the forefront of diversity & inclusion for years. The company has been one of the first major tech companies to cover full transgender care and announced earlier this year to help cover the costs of employees who have to travel to get abortions or gender-affirming care due to new restrictions in several states around the United States. Microsoft also released the Adaptive Controller in 2018, a special gaming controller that is built for people with disabilities.
Riot Games Releases Official Anthem for Wild Rift World Championship
The first-ever world championship for Riot Games’ mobile title Wild Rift takes place from June 14 to July 9. Riot Games just released the official anthem for the event series. The song is called “Never Stop Me” and features a diverse set of characters such as People of Colour and people with disabilities, signaling everyone can become a professional Wild Rift player.
Other News
Professional Cloud9 White’s Annie Roberts surprisingly stepped down from competitive Valorant. In a statement she explained how she is dealing with burnout due to dangerously long working days. Her statement also brought up the discussion again about working conditions for professional esports athletes.
FlyQuest CEO Tricia Sugita announced on Monday that she is stepping down from her position immediately. Two days later it was revealed that she joined Cloud9 as their new Chief Marketing Officer.
Google pays out $118 million to female staff who earned less than their male colleagues as Business Insider reports