LGBTQ+ celebration and cultural branding – Once upon a time in a windswept corner of the West, where oat milk flows freely and flags come in more colors than a unicorn’s sneeze, society decided it was time to celebrate…everything.
But not just celebrate – no, no – we needed parades, awareness weeks, months, and corporate brand logos temporarily bursting into rainbow fireworks every June.
Enter: the LGBTQ+ community. A group once unfairly shoved into the social basement is now being hoisted up on the cultural coffee table like Grandma’s prized porcelain.
Which is great – until the pedestal starts to look less like respect and more like a marketing campaign.
Now imagine, for a moment, a humble Welsh sheep farmer named Dai.
Dai doesn’t ask for much: sunshine, rain, and sheep that don’t judge. But Dai’s got a secret. A deeply troubling secret by society’s standards… he prefers the company of his woolly flock just a little too much.
Now, no one is suggesting Dai should have a parade down Cardiff High Street waving a fleece-covered flag while Elton John plays on a tractor.
But Dai wonders: “Why do some folks’ private preferences get a month of celebration, while mine gets me banned from every petting zoo in a 50-mile radius?”
The answer, of course, lies in nuance – and branding.
You see, LGBTQ+ folks have fought long and hard for basic rights – like not getting fired for who they love, or being able to pee in peace. Their visibility is about survival and dignity.
Dai’s romantic interest in Bessie the Ewe? Not quite the same struggle.
Corporations aren’t exactly rushing to put a bleating lamb on their Pride sandwich commercials. (“Baah Means Baah” – probably not making it past the legal team.)
And so, in the great tapestry of Western values, we’ve reached a point where celebrating previously oppressed groups is not only seen as virtuous, but also cool, marketable, and a bit of a competitive sport.
Flags, badges, TikToks. Visibility is currency. But not every preference qualifies.
So poor Dai watches from the hills, clutching his rainbow scarf (knitted by Bessie), wondering when his day will come.
Spoiler: probably never. But maybe that’s okay.
After all, some preferences are best kept in the pasture.
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