The beige-ification of Pride
+ Logan Paul's presidential plans, an AI dream recorder, robot bodegas, NBA Twitch stars, NYT's TikTok pivot, dad texts, crashing out, neo-Nazi memecoin drama, and Sabrina Carpenter vs the culture war
For years, Pride month meant rainbows in storefronts, on sneakers, burger wrappers, and an endless array of t-shirts and merch. But this June, After a decade of cashing in on queer identity, corporations are pulling back. From the aisles of Target to the Instagram feeds of big brands, the rainbow logos are gone and the merch shelves are empty.
Podcaster and cultural critic Matt Bernstein joined my podcast this week to talk about the rise and fall of rainbow capitalism, the history of the commodification of queer identity, and why this year everything has gone so beige.
Also, in light of Pride month I want to ask you to give any small amount you can to Point of Pride, (truly no amount is too small)! Point of Pride is a trans-led nonprofit that makes gender-affirming care more accessible for the trans and gender diverse community.
The organization directly helps trans people obtain things like financial aid for surgery, electrolysis, HRT or free binders and shape wear. Since 2016, Point of Pride has helped more than 29,000 trans people in all 50 states get the care they need and deserve.
Trans people are finding it harder and harder to access crucial, life saving gender care right now. When you donate to Point of Pride your money goes directly to funding these efforts and helping to build a future filled with safety, joy, and possibility for all trans people.
Please donate today, every single dollar counts!!