SPECIAL FEATURE
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow What it means to be a true ally
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TUCKER BOTTOMLEY AND GABE SQUALOR ARE THE CO-OWNERS OF OUTLAW COUNTRY TATTOO, HALIFAX'S FIRST QUEER TATTOO SHOP.
any Halifax businesses participate in Pride month every July and show their support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The support ranges from marching in a parade with a giant float, changing their logos or selling a rainbow themed line of merchandise to generating fundraisers, displaying inclusive advertising or simply putting a rainbow flag up in their shop window.
“It’s painting our history and culture in this fantasy, which seems to have turned our struggle and story into a capitalistic brand that’s being constantly exploited,” says Gabe Squalor, Co-Owner of Outlaw Country Tattoo. “And I think as queer people, who are really into educating ourselves on queer history, where we come from and what we need, we feel it’s very complicated talking about rainbow washing.”
To some, this is a phenomenal way to drive forward change, acceptance and inclusion for queer people in the city and province. For others, it’s simply another example of rainbow washing for the sake of profiteering and corporate clout.
“I'm not always offended by a rainbow flag in somebody's window. I appreciate some form of support and visibility,” says Squalor. “But it’s a complicated feeling because these corporations have a further reach than we do, by a longshot, and can do a heck of a lot more.”
What’s rainbow washing? It’s using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to products, material, and/or promotions. This signals progressive support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but at times it can be performative. It can earn consumer credibility but little to no effort or tangible results for queer people’s benefit. 24
By Mina Atia
These mixed emotions stem from the dividing opinions on how opportunistic rainbow washing can be. It has been a topic of contention for a while now, but this year gained a lot of traction online. Some organizations, mainly big corporations, are profiteering from BUSINESS VOICE
2SLGBTQIA+ products, jumping on the rainbow-washing bandwagon. And there are questions about the true intent and authenticity behind their campaigns and the support they offer. “I think big corporations should continue to fund pride,” says Squalor. “However, I think that they should take a step back from how they use their sponsorship platforms and should rework their values and understanding around what Pride is and means.” “They need to be giving more money, taking less and not profiting off of pride,” says Tucker Bottomley, Co-owner of Outlaw Country Tattoo. On one hand, it’s amazing that many corporations are showing their pride during Pride. It’s great that there is so much visibility. On the other hand, it can be rather tokenizing of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
