Rainbow Capitalism In India.

The decriminalization of section 377 has definitely been a landmark for the LGBTQIA+ community. The right to existence has not only paved way for a lot of hope for the members of the community, it has also developed pink capitalism in India.

With the onset of the court ruling, various companies shoved up variations of the rainbow flag, literally to our faces. Although there is no hard and fast rule that the Rainbow Flag is solely a symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community, we must also realize how this was just another opportunistic move by these companies. There has been almost no account previously of these companies standing up for the rights and regulations of the members. They haven't voiced any form of interests in these issues via the platform that they're provided. So, the question arises..why now? It is clear that, this was simply a business strategy.

Although pink capitalism is extremely important for a country like India, where pink capitalism can add to a 0.4-1.6% of growth to the GDP. It's equally important for people and business establishments to take a wider understanding of this prospect. Creating more job opportunities for transgenders and also appealing the LGBT audience via their products will have a better impact. There are absolutely no such clothing brand in India that reach out to the Non binary population of the community. With studies accounting for lesser pay, fewer opportunities for promotions and more workplace harassment, there are many systemic issues plaguing the corporate world. These are the issues that need to be dealt with more carefully before painting your logo VIBGYOR.

Hospitality and tourism department has had a lot of gay capitalism in the recent years. One such example is the Kitty Su nightclub that is run by the Lalit groups which features a large number of welcoming LGBT members as well as many performances by drag queens. This is a very small example as to how, one needs to create a better and safer zone for the community and it's allies.

There is no denying that the companies, in a little way also via there so called “strategies” have at least left for some conversation with a wider audience. This small initiative does matter. But then if it would be possible to get this to establish a better representation of the community, we should always look for it.