Around the end of May, there’s usually a rumbling that makes me curious with anticipation. For those in the know, they hop on over to YouTube and find a handful of creators discussing what is commonly referred to as “rainbow capitalism.” In a lot of respects, it’s a crass misunderstanding of what Pride Month stands for, but it’s also the paradoxical reality where LGBTQIA+ individuals get to acknowledge that, hey, we’re marketable! Throw a rainbow on anything and upcharge it. Nobody will care because it’s the one month a year when it’ll be available.
There is something so confounding about indulging in “rainbow capitalism” because there is the recognition that this is crass consumerism, but it’s also the one time a year when the larger industries that make up America recognize that everyone (except, in my rummaging, maybe bisexuals) are valid. Go get your dog a scarf with the trans flag on it. Buy that mediocre pin-striped rainbow shirt. This is your moment to take in the gauche and admire the failed attempts at allyship, such as NASCAR’s “Yascar” post.
And yet, 2024 seemed to lack the rumblings. I got to the end of May and had no word about what the funny-looking merch would be. Online discourse revealed a lot of clues as to why this year felt underwhelming. To start on the “inconsequential” side, a lot of blame for Target’s fallout could be found in their inability to pay artists they had collaborated with. Following last year’s notorious recall, many were left without the company living up to their end of the deal. That may be why a lot of their options this year felt like throwbacks to the least promising options of yesteryear. With reports that they were only appearing at selective stores and not proudly displayed towards the front, it was clear that this was no longer seen as the lucrative gimmick it once was.
To their credit, Target’s backlash for 2023 was horrifying. With the rise of homophobic and transphobic rhetoric in America, protestors are becoming more belligerent. Right-wing rappers released songs about “Target targeting your kids” while others received bomb threats and had customers actively destroy their sets. From a company perspective, safety is most important. However, it comes with the cowardice message that the loudest voice in the room is the correct one. Forget protecting the marginalized. They deserve to be assaulted simply because others misunderstand their message.
Then again, 2023 went so horribly that I personally was not looking forward to June 2024. The Club Q Shooting is still a relatively recent history that makes me fear that more queer establishments will fall prey to violence. In Southern California, a woman was murdered at her place of business for simply identifying as an ally. Kid Rock sent Dylan Mulvaney death threats for drinking beer. In Orange County in California, there was a riot because a school district did nothing besides acknowledge June as Pride Month. Elsewhere, schools protested including Harvey Milk in the “activists” section of the footnotes. If that wasn’t enough, the aforementioned Orange County voted to not fly pride flags in front of government buildings during June.
So please forgive me for feeling like June was going to be underwhelming. Given that an early report featured Colorado conservatives wanting to burn rainbow flags, it’s hard to see where the good comes in all of this. The one video that I saw discussing this year’s rainbow capitalism came from Grayson’s World where somebody in the comments suggested that Target pulling back merch was a canary in the coalmine moment. Soon every store would be following suit and, in a sense, the progressive strides would be permanently backsliding.
Given that I’m not convinced either front-runner for president is going to change the tide, it’s hard to feel any enthusiasm for November. It’s not right to shove queer messages down people’s throats but it’s cool to be required to display The Ten Commandments in schools from the country that gave us the old chestnut “separation of church and state.” What are we even fucking doing?
But I don’t think it’s fair to really spend all of Pride Month complaining about what is wrong. For as much as I think there’s a lot of necessary concern to keep tabs on, there has to be something to bring people joy. Despite Target’s notorious failure this year, other companies like Wal-Mart have stepped up with fewer complaints. While I am not a Star Wars fan, I am enthused to know that Abigail Thorn is starring in The Acolyte and presenting a story that is described as very queer. There’s an endless variety of newer media to console the jangled nerves. For the sensitive souls, there’s the new Billie Eilish. For the reckless ones, Charli XCX has given the soundtrack for the summer.
However, I think the real breakout star of 2024 seems to be Chappell Roan. Given that I found out about her in February 2022 when “Naked In Manhattan” first appeared on Spotify, the journey has been thrilling to watch. She very much deserves her place in the modern discourse. “The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess” was one of my favorite albums of last year and her recent stint at Coachella was one of my favorite performances that I saw. She incorporates drag elements with pop in such a way that it becomes this campy, raucous good time. Every time I see her, she’s got a new bawdy outfit and the crowds seem to be bigger. She’s even appeared on TV to sing her new song “Good Luck, Babe.” While it’s strange how a lot of the discourse feels like it popped up overnight, I am grateful to know people are finding her and she’s really connecting.
Elsewhere films like I Saw the TV Glow (2024) were in theaters and Vera Drew was taking The People’s Joker (2024) to the next level by announcing a physical release. Dakota Johnson starred in one of my favorite smaller films of the year Am I Okay? (2024) where she stars as someone who discovers later in life that they’re gay. It’s charming and sweet. To close out this section, Hannah Einbinder released a stand-up special called Everything Must Go that discusses her bisexuality and finds her doing some of the best neurodivergent jokes of the year, Jacqueline Novak notwithstanding.
But speaking of Einbinder, I want to shift from what everyone else did to what I was up to over the past month. To be clear, we didn’t actually go to the game together nor did I ever cross her path. However, Einbinder was at the same WNBA game that I was at. We were both there to see The Los Angeles Sparks play The Las Vegas Aces. It’s my third game of the 2024 season, and this particular night was Pride Night.
To go on a brief tangent, I have now been to Pride Nights for both the NBA and WNBA. While a lot of The NBA’s problems could be chalked up to the starting line-up taking that night off, their approach felt very tacked on. Even with buzzier entertainment like Snow Tha Product and 1/5 of Fifth Harmony, it felt like an afterthought. While I will openly admit that it was cool to hear Snow ask the crowd to cheer if they supported gay people, little about the game felt “collaborative.” Maybe it’s because even Ivica Zubac didn’t feel involved that night, but nobody seemed to care.
Meanwhile, The WNBA went all out. Along with attendance being at 90%+, there was just a greater sense of unity. I had noticed people wearing out and proud wardrobes at previous games. There’s no doubt that they have a strong queer following. In the case of Pride Night, everyone was given a rainbow-designed bag at the door. Throughout the game, different charities and groups had noticeable advertising to celebrate the evening. Even Layshia Clarendon’s charity for non-binary and trans individuals got a lengthy shout-out (we also ran into them in the lobby, but that’s beside the point).
I will say that as much as the public discourse seems to veer away from LGBTQIA+ stories, there is something to being in a room full of people who are open and celebrating the night. For as silly and tangential as any basketball theme night actually is, it still feels nice to see staff members wearing pride shirts and lines and lines of fans wearing some variation of the rainbow when they weren’t supporting the team.
It's moments like this that I become relieved to exist in Los Angeles County. While Orange County sounds like it’s becoming progressively more and more bigoted, L.A. seems to be on the right side of history. For the first time, I turned on (as ABC called it) The Los Angeles Pride Parade Sponsored By McDonalds. As trivial as it actually was to see people marching with rainbow-colored décor, there was something nice to see people simply existing. I think watching it made me realize how banal I find parade culture. Everyone was happy. For as crass as the rainbow capitalism of it was, there was something to seeing companies who supported their employees that was endearing. In a time where it feels like rights will be gone in a matter of months, it’s nice to see proof to the contrary.
More than anything, I loved that I got to watch it and not feel like something bad was going to happen. While there was a Pro-Palestine protest that briefly interrupted things, it was resolved rather quickly. In a time where it feels like bigots are weaponized, to get through a parade without a casualty feels like a miracle. It’s terrible to think that way, but that’s how the world feels to me right now. I have to take the relief where I can.
Another highlight of the year was seeing A Strange Loop. To provide some context for the show, they had a shirt on sale that mentioned it was a “Big, Black, and queer-ass American Broadway show.” There’s a celebratory nature to the show even if it’s about the turmoil of being unaccepted by society. There’s comedy in the tragedy and I’ll give Michael R. Jackson credit for making such a nuanced and original character. Usher feels real and I was thankful to see it with a crowd that understood the assignment. It was confrontational in a way that I feel more “polite” audience members might reject, but the actors got a deserved standing ovation for a night of some spectacular theater.
It was also nice to see such a diverse population in attendance. While I think a lot of people got their tickets at a discount like I did, it was still full to the brim. Outside before the show I got to see a ton of people dressed in Pride appropriate gear and wearing some very flamboyant outfits. I’m pretty sure the person working the merch booth was non-binary or trans. Everything about the evening felt like a unique form of inclusivity that I wasn’t seeing elsewhere. While WNBA maybe spoke to a more conservatively-designed wardrobe, A Strange Loop felt like self-expression run amok. I kind of loved it just because there were some truly wild designs out in public.
For as much as the world seems to be falling apart and burning, I had these brief experiences to made me believe in the good of the world. It just goes to show that sometimes it’s good to get off the internet and find a venue that supports people. It’s out there and hopefully somewhere in your neck of the woods. Given that I’m in Southern California, I am sure hundreds could be awaiting. I can’t say that I’m much in the way of social gatherings, but finding people who share similar interests is enough for me to feel some relief that everything is going to be all right. I just hope it continues to be there.
This post is less meant as a greater commentary on Pride Month as a greater concept and just the way that a few small events redeemed it in my eyes. Just because Target gave up, just because murderous bigots put you on edge, just because conservatives want to burn your flag while moaning about people burning theirs… it doesn’t mean you should give up looking for a small piece of joy. I found it, and while I didn’t necessarily seek it as Pride Month activities, they wound up being such because of practicality.
I’m thankful to know a lot of people in the LGBTQIA+ community. It feels so nice to see them simply existing in the world, being happy, and living their lives. As much as things are probably getting worse, things have maybe gotten better since I was in high school. There’s at least less to lose by stepping out and representing. I’m curious to see if next year will be even better and the rumblings return. If not, I’ll just find some other way to kick off the festivities.
Comments
Post a Comment