Happy Pride month to all my LGTBQIA+ friends! I am a proud ally and wanted to create a blog post that mixes my two favorite things together, supporting human rights and non-profit organizations and style. Last year, I purchased my first pride apparel from Abercrombie (the shorts seen in the picture) and I purchased a shirt from American Eagle this year.
My original plan was to share the pride collections from some of my favorite retailers. My friend challenged me even more to share pride collections from retailers who support the LGTBQIA+ community all year long, not just during the month of June. This caused me to pause and dig into research. Using this article from Popsugar, I was able to find most of my favorite retailers do support all year long. However, on the other hand, there are a low amount of retailers that support LGTBQIA+ organizations or is open about their work equality environment and that gave me pause.
What difference does it make between showing support only during pride month versus the rest of the year? Most of us would just brush over this difference, and I will be the first to admit that I didn’t think about this either. However, there’s a whole community that is fighting for equality in the workplace. Imagine being scared of getting fired from your job over the gender you have a preference to in relationships. Up until a few years ago, that was a huge fear for this community.
Similar to the BLM movement and a fight against asian hate, it’s a year long fight that needs support from others not just in the month that we deem as Pride Month or African-American History Month or in a wider scale, Woman’s History month. I want to use this blog post to start a conversation. Even though I know it won’t make a huge impact, it’s a few thoughts that have been on my mind that I want to share with the world.
Below are the retailers that support the LGTBQIA+ community all year round and links to items from each of their collections.
Levi’s – they were the first fortune 500 company to extend benefits to unmarried partners and filed a brief with the California Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage. During pride month, 100% of the sale from the pride collection goes to various organizations, including Harvey Milk Foundation, Stonewall Community Foundation, and OutRight Action International.
Pride Liberation Trucker//Women’s Custom Blank Perfect Tee//Pride Sports Bra//Pride Relaxed Graphic Crewneck Sweatshirt//Pride Liberation Roadtrip T-shirt//Rainbow Stripe Crew Cut Socks (2 Pack)//App Exclusive Levi Customized by Franco Steez//Vintage T-Shirt
Gap – they have partnered with United Nations Foundation to raise awareness and funds for United Nations Free & Equal Campaign. They also have a group within the company called GEAR, who’s mission is to create an inclusive and supportive environment for their LGTBQIA+ employees.
The Gap Collective Pride Teen 100% Cotton Shirt (You, Me We)//Kids Pride Tie Dye Hoodie//Collective Pride Baseball Hat//Collective Pride 100% Cotton Shirt (love for all)//Kids Pride Tube Socks (3-Pack)//Pride T-Shirt
Macy’s – they have partnered with The Trevor Project as a Trevor Rainbow Partner. They also help funds for pride parades across the country and Puerto Rico and Guam. My only nitpick with this retailer is that they share pride collection from other retailers that only openly support the LGTBQIA+ community during Pride Month.
Men’s Pride Rainbow Pete Embroidered Logo Graphic T-Shirt//INC Tie-Dyed Sweatshirt//Ralph Lauren Pride Crew Sock//Women’s Pride 2021 Tank Top//INC Unisex Floral Pride T-Shirt//Junior’s Cotton Blessed T-Shirt//New York Yankees Pride 39THRITY Stretch Fitted Cap//Junior Cotton Love Graphic-Print T-Shirt
Target – they support pride all year round with the hashtag #TakePride on their website that serves as a place of affirmation and allyship with the LGTBQIA+ community. They are also celebrating their 10th anniversary partnering and supporting GLSEN and their mission to create affirming, accessible and antiracist space for the community. They also donate funds and volunteer time among various local, regional and regional LGTBQIA+ organizations throughout the year, including Human Rights Campaign and Out & Equal.
Pride Gender Inclusive Graphic Adult “Ally” Short Sleeve T-Shirt//Pride Golden Girls Tee//Bisexual Flag Heart Tee//“Pronouns” Tee//Proud 365 Tee//“Mas Amor Por Favor” Tee//“Be You” Tee//Mickey Mouse Tee//Striped Rainbow Button Down//Pride David Bowie Tee
Nordstrom – they support a number of organizations, including Utah Pride Center and The Center of Colfax, to help provide valuable resources and services to the LGTBQIA+ community. They also give $100,00 in grants to LGTBQIA+ Youth service organizations. Same as Macy’s, as a department store that sells other brands in their store, I wish they would create a Pride collection that featured brands that support the community all year round and not just in June.
Pride Graphic Baby Tee//Kate Spade Medium Pride market tote//Classic Rainbow Checkerboard Slip-On//Love is Love Beaded Stretch Bracelet//Pride Rainbow CanvasTote Bag//Pride Social Construct Canvas Tote//2 Pride Necklace//TOMS Pride Stripe Alpargata Slip-On//3-Pack Pride Patches//Be Proud Crop Mesh Tee
Abercrombie – they are also aTrevor Rainbow partner with the Trevor Project. For year-round support of The Trevor Project, they offer partnership at events, proceeds of sales from special collections, and a customer roundup campaign online and in US stores.
Tie-Dyed Ribbed Tank Bodysuit//Curve Love High Rise Cutoff Shorts//Pet Bandana//Everybody Belongs Tee//Slides//3-Pack Pride Collection Tees//2-Pack Athletic Crew Socks//Flip Sequin Heart Tee//Bright Future Relaxed Tee//Tie-Dyed Oversized Hoodie
Puma – this year, Puma has partnered up with LGTBQIA+ activist Cara Delevingne to create a Pride collection named Forever Free. It is created to inspire others to be free from fear and believe in themselves. 20% of the proceeds will go to Delevingne’s foundation, a project of the Giving Back Fund, and be used to support LGTBQIA+ charities across the globe.
Forever Free Tee//PUMA X out foundation Tee//Pride Shorts//Pride Puma Logo Tee//Future Rider Pride Sneakers//Pride Suede Sneakers
These are just a few of the retailers that support the LGTBIA+ community throughout the year. I wanted to showcase mainly retailers that I also shop at throughout the year. Did your favorite retailer make the list? If they didn’t, and you want to share them, let me know in the comments below! Also let’s have a discussion in the comments on whether or not retailers should be held more accountable to supporting the community outside of pride month.
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