Aer Lingus join Dublin Pride for the first time and why it matters

The theme for Dublin Pride 2018 is “We Are Family”. This is in reference to the Catholic World Meeting of Families being held in August when Pope Francis visits Ireland. References to LGBTQ+ families were removed from resource material for the Catholic event, hence the Pride theme.

Aer Lingus are the official airline for Dublin Pride this year and it is the companies first time in the parade. The Aer Lingus blog states that over 250 employees and their friends and family represented the airline in the parade. You can see their float in the picture at the top of this post.

Aer Lingus Dublin Pride Videos

Various social media platforms were used by Aer Lingus to show their support for Pride this year. Video appeared on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, getting the message out widely. Below is a short one minute video of employees holding up cards with what pride means for them.

I particularly agree with the ones showing “Bring My Whole Self To Work” and “Everyone’s Included” which are so significant, plus the one that says “Being Cool With It All”. It would be nice if everyone was cool with everyone else. Imagine!

Having the support of iconic brands such as Aer Lingus is important. People who have an attachment to the brand will, by association, see this support and realise that people are just people. Humans really do have more similarities with each other than differences. The second video above is also one minute, showing Aer Lingus at Pride. It looks like a fabulous day!

Why Does Business Joining Dublin Pride Matter?

Some elements of the gay community are lamenting that Pride is becoming more corporate, having morphed from its original protest march form as time has passed and acceptance has increased. The same comments were directed at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras around the turn of the century. It is nothing new to me.

Visibility is key and business support is needed for that. Smirnoff Vodka advertised city wide while Dublin Bus had two buses with “The Proudest Bus” and the rainbow colours on the side. Some shops featured flags in their windows – all of this increases acceptance and reduces fear and is therefore key. Passing on assistance to the community is important too. For example, Bank of Ireland decided to donate the transaction fees from the GAYTM machines on the parade route. Corporate support usually comes about by employees within the organisation pushing for it. Worrying about the bigger agenda from the big mean corporate machine strikes me as a bit of a waste of energy. I remember when there was no corporate support and I prefer it with rather than without.

Overall Thoughts

Business should always support the community, whether it be sponsoring a sporting team, raising money for charity, or allowing their employees to march in Dublin Pride with the full backing of management. Corporate social responsibility is real and should be a part of any modern workplace.

Ireland is a very cosmopolitan country and while it is not free of problems (where is?) it has progressed hugely. It has been really noticable in the past thirteen years since I arrived from Australia. That has been wonderful to see!

What do you think of business supporting events like Pride? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Smirnoff ads via source out of home.
Bank of Ireland and Dublin Bus via the respective companies.