When the capitalists are trying to make a quid or two you should recognise that you've won

Pride is here and there’s the usual whining that the capitalists - the corporates - are having too much to do with it. Which is entirely the wrong way to be thinking about matters:

He also voiced concerns that the onerous costs for road closures, barricades and parking suspensions imposed on Pride had forced it to rely heavily on corporate sponsorship. There was a danger of “pinkwashing”, he said. “Some corporates seem to see Pride as a marketing opportunity to target LGBT+ customers.”

That’s what victory looks like Peter.

Everything from High Street shops, supermarkets and banks are changing their logos, adding new window displays and selling special products.

But is this "rainbow washing"? In other words - is it jumping on a bandwagon without making any meaningful change?

Some LGBT campaigners are asking what brands actually do to support their community.

Do to support? They’re trying to make money out of it. Which is indeed that victory.

It’s taken too long, certainly, it’s not entirely complete as yet. But that the capitalists, the corporates, are seeing the love that dare not speak its name as just another opportunity to make a quid or two means that it has all been normalised.

As it should be, obviously. That very insistence upon viewing as just another set of potential consumers means being viewed exactly equally to everyone else. Which is rather what the point of the entire centuries long exercise was, isn’t it?