Freya-Onions-report

Extracts from my KRPT° THREESIXTY Insights Report on Queer Culture

Due for online publication in February 2023

The report takes a ‘queer perspective’ to contemporary culture, LGBTQ+ Advertising Campaigns, and brand awareness.

Also feel free to check out the questionnaire I designed to collect original insights data for my report.

[From Introduction section on LGBTQ+ as an acronym]

Queer

/kwɪə/
(adjective, noun, verb)
denoting or relating to a sexual or gender identity that does not correspond to established ideas of sexuality and gender, especially heterosexual norms.

Queer: perhaps the most complicated and fraught term in the acronym but also the most essential. Whether they identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex so many also self-identify as ‘queer’. As a result, ‘queer’ is blurry and open.

However, this is what makes the term so valuable to many LGBTQ+ identifying people. Since it was reclaimed from decades of use as a slur, it has become a catch-all term for anyone who feels that their gender or sexual identity stands at odds to mainstream culture.

Where the other categories separate sexuality from gender, queer intertwines the two. The word itself is always undergoing transformation: from a reminder of marginalisation and disempowerment into one of community, solidarity and pride.

‘Queer’ reasserts the fluidity of identity: exploring expressions of desire or gender beyond the norm is always process-based. This community is not based on a set of discrete identities so much as a common aspiration towards self-expression in all its plurality, fluidity and dynamism. To many queer people, ‘queerness’ is a process, not a fixed end- point.

The dictionary definition of queer does little to explain its flexibility. However, it does stress that queer can be used not just an adjective but a verb. Being queer is active. ‘Queering’ involves looking at the world with new eyes and shifting the status quo. Like ‘questioning’, it is an attempt to transform the norms others might take for granted.

That’s why queerness isn’t just an identity: it’s a way of seeing the world. Whether it be transmasculine people on Tiktok using H&M sports bras as binders, or lesbians finding sexual subtexts in hit TV shows, every day queer people find new ways to express themselves in a world which wasn’t designed with them in mind. At KRPT° we’re taking a queer perspective on contemporary culture to challenge preconceptions about what LGBTQ+ marketing should look like.

[From Section 2: Queering Culture, introductory paragraphs]

Culture is what keeps communities together. It is the glue that binds us with shared meanings, inside jokes, and common goals. Not only that, but culture is the testing ground for new meanings: it provides a vital space for experimentation and expressing queer identity.

The Need for Queer Community- and where brands can step in to fill the untapped demand

Queer people need community now more than ever. Under the social distancing guidelines of the Covid-19 pandemic many of the most essential support services to LGBTQ+ youth were stalled or cancelled. The result? Well, studies show that, since lockdown,

“LGBTQ people aged 18-29 had “lower levels of hope for the future, higher levels of alcohol use, a lower sense of connection to and pride regarding the LGBTQ community.”” https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/covid-crisis-exacerbating-lgbtq-alcohol-abuse- studies-find-n1257008

This only exacerbates the already uniquely isolating aspects of queer life. Where people of colour and women, for example, are often raised in environments surrounded by people with whom they can discuss their identities and the issues that face them, queer people regularly face rejection and abuse by those closest to them. As a result, community building is arguably more necessary to queerness than to any other identity: unlike other minority groups discussed within intersectionality, queerness begins in isolation.

Half of LGBTQ+ young people (50 per cent) who were happy to answer said they feared that expressing their LGBTQ+ identity to family members would lead to them being evicted. Almost one in ten (7 per cent) said the same about romantic partners. [Source Akt report]

Over 6 in 10 (61 per cent) of LGBTQ+ young people felt frightened or threatened by their family members before they became homeless. [Source Akt report]

Queer culture is vital to its continued existence of its community. In this section we ‘queer’ four key aspects of mainstream culture and assess how they’re to prove increasingly important to the growth of the queer community.

[From Section 2: Queering Culture, on ‘Enby (Non-Binary) Fashion’]

In September of 2022, Virgin Atlantic made headlines with a seemingly minor change to its uniform policy. Now, the airline announced, the staff operating its aircraft would no longer be required to wear a uniform that matches their gender. This was a historic win for non- binary people at Virgin Atlantic and more broadly: finally staff could put their own personal comfort and gender expression first. Slowly, it seems, brands are realising that clothing does not have to be either ‘male’ or ‘female’. Instead, it can be a place for individuals to express themselves in their own terms. Nor, it must be stated, should people who identify as neither male nor female be forced to present somewhere in between: as the popular mantra goes: ‘non-binary people don’t owe you androgyny’. [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/28/virgin-atlantic-staff-can-choose- which-uniform-to-wear-no-matter-their-gender]

Perhaps more-so than any other, fashion has been embraced by the LGBTQ+ community as a way of expressing queer desire and identity. From the ‘handkerchief code’ of the mid to late twentieth century, to the drag kings and queens now in mainstream television, fashion remains central to queer life.

Yet, queer people are going above and beyond the call for self-expression. Their actions are transforming the fashion world and the way we engage with it. This includes both the clothes fashion brands are selling, and the way they sell it. Generational shopping trends point to a wide scale adaptation of ‘non-binary’ shopping habits:

In 2019, 56 percent of Gen Z consumers shopped “outside their assigned gendered area,” according to Rob Smith, founder of the “gender free fashion” brand Phluid Project.

A few smaller fashion retailers, including London-based brand Riley Studio ‘and multi- brand retailer Slowco’ — are celebrating non-binary aesthetics by ditching the old distinction between ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ garments. Instead, they allow individual expression to shape each person’s wardrobe, rather than gender expectations: as stand- ins for the old designations, Slowco uses the categories ‘femme’, ‘masc’ and ‘all’ to encourage experimentation. Genderfreeworld makes clothing that ‘fits your body, not your gender’. To do this, it makes shirts to fit ‘four bodies’, each with a gender neutral name: Alex, Billie, Charlie and Drew, rather than two genders. [https://www.genderfreeworld.com/]

Gone are the old aisles of clothes separated by gender- and finally, queer people can mix and match; pick and choose. This is what we mean when we say LGBTQ+ people are ‘queering’ fashion: they are diving in, searching through the clothes rails, and forging new modes of self expression.

[From Section 3: Queering Technology]

As we know, queer people yearn for community. But perhaps the dominant driving force behind both the growth and change of the LGBTQ+ community is the online space. That’s why in this section we take a look at how technologies are being harnessed and transformed by queer people in their search for inclusive and supportive communities.

The online queer community is characterised by its diversity, its dramatic transformations over time, and, most importantly, its ability to bring LGBTQ+ people together. To get to grips with its diversity we limit ourselves to a survey of some of the most influential communities, subcultures and contemporary trends, and move on to speculate upon what the future of the queer community might look like, and how brands can harness some of its creative energy.

Contrary to the popular queer slogan, ‘Out of the closets and into the streets’, This section follows the community “Out of the streets and onto tumblr” by tracing the growth of online queer community from its Millennial roots in discussion boards and fanfictions through to the possibilities for a truly queer metaverse.

[Conclusion]
Support* the queer perspective

Throughout, we’ve been talking about how brands can support the community, what they should know about queer culture, and how that culture is likely to change in the coming years. But what does support really mean? Well, here’s the thing: support, like much everything else in the queer community, comes with a big asterisk.

Support*, as the asterisk implies, means that empowering the LGBTQ+ community isn’t a definitive process which can be stopped and started at will. In fact, brands who rest on their past successes continually fail to stay in touch with the realities of queer life, whether those be cultural trends, or socio-political changes in the world at large.

Many queer people cite the necessity that brands engage in real financial and social support for the community’s most marginalised to prove the genuine queer credentials. This would ensure that a brand’s LGBTQ+ marketing strategy goes beyond ‘queerwashing’ by supporting LGBTQ+ charities, and empowering the queer people in their workforce.

But it’s not always so simple, as M&S proved with its Pride Campaign in 2019: donating to a LGBTQ+ charity is by no means a sure fire way to queer celebrity:

Case study: M&S’ ‘ LGBT’ sandwich

From a distance, M&S’ LGBT sandwich was the quintessential queerwashed campaign. Upon release, it’s sandwich, which contained lettuce, guacamole, bacon and tomato was criticised online for ‘tokenism’ and viewed as a superficial attempt to capitalise on Pride month through a low effort, low risk and generalised gesture towards queerness without substantially engaging with its specificities.

The £10,000 they had donated to LGBTQ+ charities behind the scenes didn’t matter: their broad approach, and their seeming ignorance over the diversity of queer struggles, meant that the backlash was already underway. [https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/not-just- any-lgbt-sandwich-has-marks-spencer-hit-or-missed-the-inclusivity- mark_uk_5ccab57fe4b0913d078cdb16].

Still, charity donations remain a great way to make sure brands are having an impact beyond their work within their institutions and the cultural power of their ads.
To avoid accusations of ‘queer washing’ brands should champion the LGBTQ+ charities that work tirelessly to help the queer people most in need. Here’s a curated list of, often award winning, charities which tackle queer issues in all their diversity:

LGBTQ+ charities help brands stay in touch with the real-world issues facing the queer community’s most marginalised. The list below includes charities on both national and local scales, along with a brief summary of their activity.

Albert Kennedy Trust, Akt https://www.akt.org.uk/what-we-do : Akt supports young LGBTQ+ people to prevent homelessness and abusive, hostile living situations by providing access to safe homes, education and employment.

Elop http://www.elop.org is an LGBTQ+ mental health charity based in East London which since 1995 has supported the community through counselling, advocacy and hosting events.
Gendered Intelligence https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/about-us/our-aims.html : Gendered Intelligence, established in 2008, educates institutions and the public on gender identity and works to empower trans people across the country.

Hidayah https://hidayahlgbt.com A multi-award winning charity focussed on combatting prejudice against and within Muslim communities through education, outreach programs and support groups.
Imaan: https://imaanlondon.wordpress.com Since its founding in London in 1999, Imaan attempts to tackle the ‘divide’ between LGBTQ+ and Muslim cultures. As more people come to terms with their queer identities, Imaan performs urgent work combatting Islamophobia in the queer community and homophobia in the Islamic community. Mermaids https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/about-us/ Growing from a collective of ‘concerned parents’ of trans children in the early 1990s, Mermaids has become the largest in its field. Today, it’s community support groups, telephone helplines, internet resources and events continue empower trans people in the UK

The Outside Project https://lgbtiqoutside.org/our-mission/ provides a refuge for LGBTQ+ people fleeing domestic abuse and (hidden) homelessness and promotes knowledge and sobriety within the community.
Positive East https://www.positiveeast.org.uk/hours-location/ Based in Bethnal Green, Positive east is a leading charity in the provision of medical support services to people living with HIV while also pushing for prevention and destigmatisation.

Queer Circle https://queercircle.org/about/, opening its doors as recently as June 2022, Queer Circle hosts a space in North Greenwich for “artists, curators, writers, thinkers, community organisers, grassroots organisations and charities who collectively work together to reimagine the role cultural spaces play in society.” This involves hosting exhibitions, education and workplace opportunities .

Stonewall: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-impact An indisputable landmark charity who have led the fight for major LGBT rights wins since its founding in 1989. Today, they continue to push for a ban against conversion therapy for trans youth, and promote education surrounding current LGBTQ+ issues.

One culture, different speeds

As we’ve suggested, support* should be an ongoing process which needs constant reworking to stay in touch with the needs of the community.

To make sure this support is both effective and valued, brands need to understand one last important thing about the queer community: that, as our intersectional view has shown us, the queer community cannot be easily defined with any one sweeping gesture.

While queer culture can be thought of forming one, if very internally diverse, whole, brands need to consider how this culture develops at different speeds in different generations. This disparity can be seen in meme cultures, in aesthetics, fashion, but, most importantly, in the words queer people use to describe themselves. (Which is why we’ve attached a helpful dictionary of useful LGBTQ+ terminology as an appendix).

The Library of Queer Stories

Queerness is about disrupting convention. It’s about challenging society’s common assumptions regarding identity and relationships. But, fundamentally, it’s always an individual journey. Each queer person has their own unique relationship to their queerness.

That’s why Aesop’s queer library stands as a shining example of a successful queer marketing strategy. In fact, its library was a microcosm of just what queer solidarity means today.

In Pride Month of 2022, Aesop transformed its Soho store into a free queer library, giving out brand new queer books in partnership with historic London queer literary institution, ‘Gay’s The Word’. Word of the spectacle quickly spread on TikTok and, for the full week that it was open, a queue of young people lined up out the door , eagerly waiting to go inside and claim their free book.

Since then, Aesop has become a household name amongst the queer community. But, on the surface it committed several of the cardinal sins of queer marketing: it only occurred during pride month; it broadly gestured towards ‘queerness’ in its title; and its brand seemed largely unrelated to the library concept as a whole. But, remarkably, Aesop’s library was seldom if at all criticised for queerwashing, and it goes beyond queer people simply wanting free stuff.

Why? Because its version of queerness was just as vibrant, and individual, as the stories of queer people themselves. Each book represented a different queer experience, and each book read a gesture of solidarity.

All genres and age ranges were represented on its shelves– which were handed out in exchange for each person’s email address. Aesop had created the perfect, TikTok-ready spectacle: a free event hosted in the heart of London’s queer district offering free queer titles.

The library, while broadly queer, and only available during pride month, felt like a celebration of diversity because of the diverse array of authors they chose to distribute. Aesop’s ‘queer library’, it turned out, was actually just a platform for queer authors to speak. The brand enshrined a queerness made up of vibrant new voices and geared towards an audience that wanted to hear them.

This is exactly the queerness that the LGBTQ+, and their growing allyship, are looking for. In the coming years, as the queer community expands, as they continue to battle for their rights, we know this for certain: queer people, and their perspectives will remain at the cutting edge, the question is which brands will keep up.