Ep. 236: Where Did the Rainbows Go? The Truth About Corporate Pride

The rainbow flags are missing this June — and the silence is telling. In this Pride Month episode, Zach goes deep on rainbow washing (a.k.a. rainbow capitalism): what it is, where it came from, how it took over Pride, and why corporations are now retreating in record numbers. From the 1969 Stonewall riots to Subaru's coded 1990s lesbian marketing, from the Bud Light and Target blowups of 2023 to the six-figure sponsorship shortfalls hitting New York, San Francisco, and Seattle Pride right now — this is the honest conversation about what corporate Pride was really about, what we lose when it leaves, and why this painful moment might be the most clarifying one our community has had in decades. Because Pride didn't start as a party. It started as a protest. And it's finding its way back. ⏱️ Chapters  00:00 Where did all the rainbow flags go?  02:00 Stonewall: Pride started as a riot, not a party  03:30 How corporate America got into Pride  07:00 What rainbow washing actually is  09:30 The 2023 turning point: Bud Light & Target  13:00 The 2026 numbers: a staggering corporate retreat  15:00 The community fights back: Twin Cities Pride  18:00 What real allyship actually looks like  19:00 Where this leaves us Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.