Apple has always been one to show support for the LGBTQ community, even before it became more popular or trendy for brands to do so. They regularly support LGBTQ groups, and have marched in Pride parades for years. The CEO, Tim Cook, came out as gay, specifically to help LGBTQ youth see that there is a future for them, they could even grow up to be in charge of one of the most prolific companies in the world.
This year, like every year, Apple released new Pride Apple Watch faces as well as two new Pride watch bands. The pages mention Apple’s advocacy work, but do they donate to LGBTQ causes for sales of these items?
What Apple Says
Apple’s not completely clear on their page if proceeds from the sales of their Pride Edition Apple Watch bands go to LGBTQ groups. However, in their newsroom briefing, they seem to suggest this is the case.
“GLSEN is just one of the organizations whose work on behalf of LGBTQ people Apple directly supports with its annual Apple Watch Pride Edition band and face collection. Apple not only aims to help users celebrate Pride in their own lives, but it also directly supports the work of organizations like GLSEN…”
– Apple’s official newsroom briefing, emphasis added
This year, Apple’s partnering with Nike. Though Apple doesn’t make claims for Nike on their page, the page for the Nike version of this year’s Pride Edition Apple Watch band does seem to suggest that Nike is also supporting LGBTQ groups.
However, Apple doesn’t say how much they’re giving to each group. Apple lists the following groups that they support, seemingly through sales of these watch bands.
“GLSEN, PFLAG, The Trevor Project, Gender Spectrum, The National Center for Transgender Equality, and ILGA World, which brings together more than 1,500 member organizations in more than 150 countries and regions.”
– Apple’s official newsroom briefing
However, the store page for these Apple Watch bands do not say whether or not these organizations receive a portion of the sales, or how much goes to the organizations, or how much each organization receives. So I asked.
Selling Rainbows?
I reached out to Apple for more information, including how profits are split up, but they never got back to me. It seems, however, that purchase of these Pride bands may not go to support LGBTQ organizations in the same way that (PRODUCT)Red products directly support the Global Fund to fight AIDS and currently COVID-19. That is, it could either be a very small percentage, or Apple could simply donate a share of profits for a number of items during Pride. They could also simply have ongoing efforts to donate to these organizations, and the sales of these watch bands do nothing to increase those donations.. Whatever it is, it’s not as simple as “Buy an Apple Watch Band and 5% goes to GLSEN.” If it was, Apple would make note of it, as they do with their (PRODUCT)Red items.
Is Apple “selling rainbows,” that is, using the Pride season to increase sales without giving back to the LGBTQ community? From their press release, it seems as though they are donating to charities, but we can’t be sure if a portion of each sale of one of their Pride products goes directly to those causes. Apple’s advocacy for LGBTQ people is among the best in the tech world, and they do at least regularly support the LGBTQ organizations listed on their pages.
Still, Apple doesn’t have a perfect track record when it comes to LGBTQ people. They don’t allow transgender people to update their information in iCloud, for example, forcing them to start a new iCloud account and lose all their purchases if they want to abandon their old names (*Update Below). Despite repeated asks over the years, Apple has continued to ignore transgender users. Apple still compromises on LGBTQ rights when it seems they can get away with people not noticing.
Apple doesn’t have a perfect track record here, but it does seem as though they’re interested in donating this year, not just selling rainbows. How much they’re actually willing to do, however, may be disappointing.
Update: I decided to reach out to Apple to confirm this. It’s slightly wrong, Apple only requires they delete their email accounts. They can still keep all purchases and other data.
Sources:
- Apple Newsroom
- Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac
- Mike Wuerthele, AppleInsider