Today marks the end of Pride Month, which is celebrated every year in June to commemorate the struggles and achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community. This year, brands have been muted in the celebration with campaigns too few and far between.

The fallout of the Bud Light controversy in the United States and Starbucks backlash in India have seemingly left brands jittery and most have not gone beyond a customary rainbow logo this Pride Month. Some have also been accused of woke washing and performative activism by people from the queer community.

Despite backlash and criticisms, some brands have stuck their neck out and have come out with campaigns celebrating Pride and supporting the LGBTIQA+ community.

Here is a round-up of how brands donned rainbow colours this Pride Month.

Absolut Glassware 'Be an Absolut Ally'

Absolut Glassware launched its first ever Pride campaign in India this year "Be an Absolut Ally." The campaign features real-life accounts of Dutee Chand, Durga Gawde, Patruni Sastry, Jay Anand, Alex Matthew, Aniruddha Mahale, Maitrayanee Mahanta, Anwesh Sahoo, and Anjali Lama.

Colorbar '#AllShadesOfYou'

Makeup brand Colorbar celebrated Pride Month with the '#AllShadesOfYou' campaigb. The brand tied up with LGBTQ+ influencers to create a platform that represents various orientations and expressions of the LGBTQIA+ community. Under the campaign, the community and the brand came together to share and celebrate inspiring stories.

Livon #AllHairIsNotStraight

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Livon tackled the issue of "straightness" being seen as the norm in sexuality and in hair texture. The brand reiterated the importance of hair styling as a method of self-expression through the #AllHairIsNotStraight campaign.

Infosys 'Embrace with Love'

Infosys' brand film for the Pride Month tells a sweet story of "fitting in" within the hetero-normative society. The animated story is centered on a queer character who finally finds a community that is accepting.

Prime Video India

Prime Video India paid homage to the community with a brand film focusing on all the queer moments from its content library.

Skybags

Luggage brand Skybags tied up with KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival yet again this year in their efforts to amplify LGBTQ+ representation and foster a more inclusive world.

Starbucks

Although Starbucks released its "It Starts With Your Name" campaign ahead of Pride Month, it stayed in public memory for its deft handling of a sensitive subject like trans acceptance. The brand also fell victim to intense trolling online by conservatives who accused it of pedalling "western" agenda in India.

Suta 'This is ME'

This Pride Month, heirloom craft brand Suta announced its collaboration with model Sushant Divgikr, who is a prominent face in the Indian LGBTQiA+ community. Divgikr was roped in as the face of the brand's Pride collection.