Here’s how you can show your support for Pride Month
From some of the best-brewed beers in support of the cause to the finest charity collaborations with global brands, here’s how to show your support for the LGBTQ community this June
There are so many worthwhile causes swirling around the world at the moment that, from supporting the NHS to the Black Lives Matter movement, we’re worried something is going to slip through the net. Thankfully, it was never going to be Pride Month. No, with such exuberant championing of the LGBT community, bright colours and gleeful celebrations — you’d be hard-pushed not to notice the rainbow-tinted hue which descends every June.
And, even if you’re not a member of the LGBT community yourself, there are still plenty of ways to support the charities and foundations that do their good work for its many numbers. Of course, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Pride Month 2020 can’t take to the streets in its usual explosion of parades, celebrations and talks this year – so it’s never been more important to show your support via the huge range of collaborations and limited editions on offer. So, from colourful spins on classic clothing to some of the finest, freshest beers brewed in support of Pride Month, here are the best ways to get involved.
Pull on some proud clothing
Because not everyone can look good in multicoloured dungarees. Of course, for those of you who do have the charisma and confidence to pull them off, we salute you. But — for the rest of us — we want to show our support in a more subtly stylish way. And don’t the big brands know it? Some of the largest fashion houses and high street brands in the world have come out in force to stand behind Pride Month.
Levi’s, for example, has delivered an understated take on its iconic trucker jacket, with a rainbow pocket tag, back embroidery and 100 percent of net proceeds going to OutRight Action International. This grey T-shirt from Banana Republic is similarly low-key, with simple chest detailing and money donated to the United Nations Free & Equal Campaign for LGBTI equality. Or, as summer’s coming up, why not pull on Wrangler’s Pride Cap? All proceeds go to charities supporting Pride activities themselves.
Sock it to prejudice
Socks are usually so boring. We buy them because we need them, and they spend most of the day tucked away timorously in our shoes. But buy a pair that support Pride and at least they’ll be good for something other than keeping your toes toasty. And, with designs swinging from subtle to showstopping, there’s a pair for everyone.
You could keep things calm with socks from Dr Martens — which also does a mean pair of Pride Boots — or Calvin Klein. The former is donating proceeds to LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity akt, while Calvin Klein makes a huge annual donation to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Of course, if you’re feeling a little more kaleidoscopic, pull on Happy Socks’ bold offerings; who this year are supporting The Trevor Project, a national 24-hour confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youths.
Raise a glass to the cause
If there’s anything Pride celebrations do better than the rest of us, it’s party. The music, the fashion — and, it would appear, the beer. From across the world, breweries seem to be inspired year-upon-year by the rainbows and party atmosphere, concocting ales and lagers to publicise the cause. And they’re not half bad, either.
And some of the names! Just look at Hackney Brewery’s offering; it may be a delicious, summery sparkling pale ale — but you’ll probably spend your entire time drinking it trying to wrap your head around the name on the can, Unicorn Rodeo. It’s the same with the Queer Brewing Project’s Pride beer — a tropical fruit Berliner Weisse called, inexplicably, Birthday Dinosaurs. Or, for a real bamboozler, opt for Goose Island’s latest release, Shea Coul-Alé. Released in partnership with Chicagoan drag superstar Shea Couleé, profits are donated to a charity helping trans women get their start in the workforce.
Show your support when working out
Considering that every other person on the street these days is a runner, one of the best ways to show your support is to incorporate the Pride flag into your workout gear. And, like the iconic styles above, not every item backing the cause has huge rainbow prints splashed across it.
Some, like these shorts from Peloton, incorporate the flag in a subtler way — with profits also donated to the Ali Forney Centre, a charity helping LGBT homeless youth. Under Armour, too, is showing its support with a pair of truly striking and genuinely stylish new Phantom Slip running shoes, mottled with the colours of the rainbow. The sportswear brand is also offering a grant program to aid LGBTQ+ focused non-profits that have been impacted by COVID-19. Or you could just buckle up a new Apple Watch strap, such as this band from Nike — who are supporting more Pride causes this year than we have time to list.
Bring the rainbow into your bathroom cabinet
One of the most effective ways to support the cause is to take some pride in your own appearance. There’s no better time of year to give your bathroom cabinet a boost — with countless different grooming products coming out in support of LGBT charities.
Take Harry’s Shave With Pride Set, for example. It’s your same close shave, but with a box designed by artist José Roda, and £10 from every sale donated to the Albert Kennedy Trust. Or why not spritz your support with a couple of rainbow-bottled scents? Everyone from Jean Paul Gaultier and his Le Male Pride Edition to Abercrombie & Fitch, which has developed a cologne in partnership with The Trevor Project, are showing their sweet-smelling support.
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