Talking about Pride Month the right way

In the second episode of Insights by Punctuate Inc, Saloni Surti engages in a conversation with Sumitro Sircar, Associate Director - Corp Com & PR, Chimp&z Inc, Mrinil Mathur Rajwani, Managing Partner, Social Samosa, Founder & Editor, Social Ketchup, Ashna Arif, Senior Creative Lead, The Hybrid Agency, and Aadesh B, Associate Creative Director, Team Pumpkin about rainbow washing and how does the industry need to self regulate to become more aware, responsible, and inclusive. 

Ashna Arif begins the conversation by sharing her personal experience of coming out and her journey in the industry. She reveals that she has been surrounded by people willing to educate themselves even if they lack understanding of queer issues. 

Similarly, Aadesh B sheds light on the inherent biases inside organisations sharing his personal anecdotes. 

Sharing his take on brands taking a tokenistic approach, Sumitro Sircar says that during discussions, he advocates for incorporating the changes that a proposed campaign talks about.

Highlighting how cinema reinforces stereotypes and acts as a major element in the opinion formation of many teenagers, Mrinil Mathur Rajwani reveals how she had to undergo cycles of learning and unlearning the years of conditioning regarding genders. 

Arif emphasises the importance of authentic representation and hiring talent from the queer community for not only purposes related to Pride Month but otherwise throughout the year. 

The guests collectively press on the importance of genuine representation and steering away from tokenism. 

Taking the conversation ahead, Surti asks the panellists about policies that their organisations have and policies that need to be implemented. Aadesh reveals that some of these policies include having gender-neutral washrooms and insurance for same-sex couples. 

Concluding the conversation with advice for creating Pride Month campaigns, the panellists share some key markers to keep in mind. 

Watch the entire conversation here.