The observation made by the author is that every June, several brands launch 'rainbow-themed products' which are associated with Pride Month, a Western festival originally created to promote equal rights. However, in recent years, the festival has become increasingly commercialised due to the lucrative business prospects it offers.

Festivals come in different shapes and sizes; some have a long and rich history while others, like Pride Month, have only been around for a few decades. The roots of this particular celebration can be traced back to 1969 when the 'Stonewall Riots' took place in New York, targeting the LGBTQ+ community by the police. In the subsequent year, the community organised the first-ever Gay Pride event, which paved the way for Pride Month.

Over the years, an increasing number of companies have expressed their support for Pride Month, with Levi's emerging as a leading brand. Since 1992, Levi's has been providing health benefits to its employees’ same-sex partners, setting a precedent for other top 500 companies in the US. The brand has actively promoted the worldwide development of LGBTQ+ movements for many years. During every Pride Month, the company unveils a special series of equal designs. In 2016, it partnered with the Harvey Milk Foundation, a renowned LGBTQ organisation, to launch a gender-neutral clothing collection primarily featuring denim, making Levi's the first brand to genuinely collaborate with Pride Month.

Numerous brands across various industries, including fashion, cosmetics, sportswear, technology, banking, and airlines, have followed in the footsteps of Levi's successful example. For instance, Nike, a leading sportswear company, established a 'Nike LGBT & Friends' network and launched the BETRUE series, a limited-edition product line released during Pride Month, to demonstrate support for the LGBTQ community. The reason behind this trend is the alignment of the values of the LGBTQ movement, such as equality, justice, love, inclusivity, bravery, freedom, progressiveness, self-affirmation, dignity, and care for the underprivileged, with highly desirable brand values for many companies.

Statistics show that the LGBTQ community comprises approximately 5% of the world's population. Although many people view them as a vulnerable group, businesses have a different perspective. According to LGBT Capital, a company that specialises in researching the pink economy, there are as many as 280 million LGBTQ individuals in the Asia-Pacific region alone, with an annual spending power of up to $1.1 trillion USD. In Europe and America, LGBTQ individuals also have significant spending power, with an average annual purchasing power of $870 billion USD and $750 billion USD respectively. They are widely perceived as high-income, tasteful individuals who are more inclined to spend money. Which brand would not want to tap into this high-spending group?

What lies ahead for the commercialisation of Pride Month?

Businesses are increasingly interested in presenting themselves as LGBTQ-friendly, while members of the community are pleased to see Pride Month gaining more visibility. Back in the 1960s, the LGBTQ community was largely marginalised and faced significant social stigma. It wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s that public attitudes towards the community began to shift. In the search for allies, the LGBTQ community has found an unlikely partner in businesses looking to capitalise on this opportunity. This partnership has helped to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues and promote a sense of equality. While some have criticised the commercialisation of Pride Month in recent years, there are numerous commercialised holidays that people still celebrate. As long as companies continue to support the LGBTQ community, it seems likely that this relationship will continue to thrive.