Should this LGBT Pride promotion offend you?

June is LGBT Pride Month, a time of year that Washington rightfully embraces.

There are some local businesses jumping into the fray to show their pride and acceptance. One company is doing so in a way that may raise some eyebrows.

Pronto Cycle Share, the company responsible for the rentable bikes in Seattle, is celebrating Pride Month with a “Glitter ‘Unicorn’ Bike” called #ProntoGlam (it’s titled with a hashtag so it gets indexed on Twitter). The bike is decked out in glitter and is promised to be the “most fabulous bike in the fleet.”

Though I’m not offended by this, wouldn’t you think this type of stereotypical stunt would be offensive to both the LGBT community and their allies? Doesn’t this play into stereotypes? Why glitter instead of the traditional rainbow colors often associated with LGBT pride? And why is it called a “unicorn” exactly?

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Now there’s no doubt that the intentions are good. And I expect someone to say this is all in good fun. I’d agree with you. But how is it then offensive to hold a Cinco de Mayo party where you play into stereotypes (with no ill-will intended)? Dani Marrero in USA Today went as far as to say referring to guacamole as “guac” should be avoided. She wrote, in part, “…the word itself also has significance as it comes from indigenous Nahuatl language, so please make the effort to pronounce it in its entirety.” Because of the culture appropriation? Well, wouldn’t that mean a heterosexual shouldn’t ride the #ProntoGlam unless he or she fully understands what it’s meant for?

Student activists at the University of Washington have been fighting microaggressions, which Psychology Today defines as “the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.” Wouldn’t a heterosexual riding around on a glittered bike be an unintentional slight if he or she thinks it’s a funny looking bike?

Now, I bring this up not to say the promotion by Pronto is offensive. I don’t believe that. I’m actually glad they’re doing it. But it’s worth bringing up the perceived inconsistencies in what is deemed “offensive” and having a conversation about whether or not we’ve become too hypersensitive or politically correct. Because if this doesn’t offend you (good!) maybe we should be just a little less quick to complain about everything that you do, in fact, take offense to.