Show Support with Pride Products

Some campus stores may hesitate to stock “pride” products in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, out of concern it will appear the store is simply profiting off it.

That’s not how the community sees it, said Heather Petersen in her CAMEX22 Speedy Sprints presentation in Louisville, KY. They’re thrilled to find pride merchandise in any store “and love to spend their money with inclusive businesses,” said Petersen, sales floor manager, Kenyon College Bookstore, Gambier, OH. “Seeing pride merchandise in the store says, ‘This is a safe space.’”

More than 20% of Generation Z and about 10.5% of millennials identify as LGBTQIA+, she noted. “Lots of people around you have been on their own quiet journey.”

The store can show support by stocking items—apparel, hats, socks, umbrellas, drinkware, room décor, plush, stationery, almost anything—with a rainbow graphic, a symbol of community pride. Many suppliers may be able to imprint items with pride art; ask for it if you don’t see it in the catalog.

“Items $20 or less is a good way to begin,” Petersen suggested. “Stickers are an inexpensive way to begin the conversation.”

Pride items can be merchandised in their own special section or mixed in with other products in category sections—or both. Stores can also explore partnerships with campus departments and organizations for events, especially during Pride Month in June and LGBTQIA+ History Month in October.

It’s not just members of the community who will shop for pride items. Parents and grandparents will buy them, too, and so will allies.

Campus store employees can be allies as well. One way is to share your pronouns, a practice that’s gaining ground on many campuses already. Be prepared “to say something if you hear a slur,” Petersen said. “Reach out to the quiet student” who may be struggling.

“Don’t underestimate the bright spot your store can make,” Petersen said. “We need allies.”

CAMEX22 attendees who missed Petersen’s Speedy Sprints presentation can catch up with the recording and slide deck posted on the CAMEX website (you’ll need your CAMEX login) until at least June 17, 2022. The slide deck includes some of the pride products and suppliers recommended by Petersen.

For another look at how campus stores are supporting marginalized communities and social issues with special merchandise, see “Social Advocacy and Merchandise,” by Stephen Cribar, from the September/October 2020 issue of The College Store magazine.