This Pride Month, Support Companies That Do More Than Post a Rainbow Flag

Chances are if you go visit the social media profiles of 10 random brands this month, at least 8 will have recently posted some sort of Pride Month-related content or even changed their logo to have a rainbow Pride flag. But many of these companies not only rarely contribute to LGBTQ+ causes but, in some cases, actively fund anti-LGBTQ candidates and legislative efforts.

The rainbow-washing can make it hard for people who want to be conscious about their spending to determine what companies actually donate to LGBTQ organizations. Here's a guide to a few brands that put their money where their mouths are and have been donating millions to LGBTQ causes for years — even before it was widely accepted.

With CEO Tim Cook as the first chief executive of a Fortune 500 company to come out as gay, Apple is unsurprisingly a huge proponent for LGBTQ quality. Cook has won awards for the the Mountain View, Calif. tech giant's outreach to the queer community and efforts to encourage diversity within the workplace.

The company regularly donates to to LGBTQ+ organizations like GLSEN, PFLAG, and The Trevor Project, among others. Thanks to these efforts and work to combat anti-LGBTQ legislation, Apple consistently earns a perfect rating each year from HRC's Corporate Equality Index.

Abercrombie & Fitch may have had its share of controversy in the past, but the company has a longstanding reputation for supporting the queer community that has only deepened in recent years. The clothing company is a Trevor Project Rainbow-Tier partner, meaning they've donated $1 million or more. The company almost universally supports pro-LGBTQ+ candidates with its political donations and gives to organizations supporting the queer community not just in the month of June but throughout the year.

One of Estée' Lauder's flagship brands, MAC Cosmetics, has been active for decades in raising funds to support people living with HIV/AIDS through its Viva Glam initiative. Back when RuPaul's Drag Race was a cult favorite and not the international juggernaut it is today, MAC partnered with out, HIV-positive drag queens as models and ambassadors for the brand. As a whole, the company ranks highly among the most LGBT-affirming employers.

Despite being around for more than 150 years old, the San Francisco denim company is far from old-fashioned when it comes to supporting the trans community. In addition to striving for a more gender-inclusive clothing line, Levi's has thrown its support behind the community by publicly condemning legislative efforts meant to target trans and nonbinary youth. It was also one of the first publicly traded companies to advocate for the gay community during the AIDS crisis.

In 2022 alone, Google has donated more than $4 million to LGBTQ causes, through cash and ad grants, the latter of which allows organizations like the Transgender Law Center to raise awareness through ads and paid Google search results, thereby reducing the outreach dollars they must spend. This allows nonprofits to spend a greater amount of their annual budget on direct services.

The Vermont ice cream company has always been at the forefront of progressive issues, including marriage equality and transgender rights, a tradition that continues at Ben & Jerry's to this day.