On June 28, 1969, a group of gays, lesbians, drag queens, and transfolk in a tiny bar in New York’s West Village decided they’d had enough — enough hiding, enough ridicule, enough harassment. During what should’ve been a (sadly) routine police raid at the Stonewall Inn, our elders fought back. It wasn’t the first act of LGBT civil disobedience in the country or the world, but it was a turning point. A turning point for all of us to embrace and display our color-coding identity to the world.
Nearly 50 years later, we now celebrate the fact that many of us can live as we choose, loving those we choose; we mourn those we’ve lost to ignorance, bigotry, and the AIDS epidemic; and we hold our collective breath as we wait for the Supreme Court of the United States to deliver one of its most important civil rights rulings in a generation, which will, we hope, show that marriage equality is a constitutional right.
And this month, we can also celebrate LGBT Pride in hundreds, if not thousands of towns and cities around the globe. This being a car and travel blog, our attention naturally turns to Detroit, where Motor City Pride festivities were held over the past weekend. And for the fourth year in a row, the Motor City Pride parade was sponsored by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
In most cities, the grand marshal of the Pride parade is a well-known member of the community — an activist, an entertainer, or a politician who’s gone to great lengths to ensure equal rights for LGBT residents. Detroit isn’t “most cities” though: this year’s Motor City Pride parade grand marshal was a rainbow-wrapped 2016 Fiat 500X, which led many of Michigan’s 300 legally married same-sex couples through the city streets.
It would be easy to write this off as a marketing stunt — one that aimed to put the Fiat 500X squarely in front of a key target market. Because it’s small and sporty, the Fiat 500 has had a particular appeal to LGBT consumers. Now that many LGBT families have begun raising children and need larger vehicles, it seems like many would be interested in a cute, gay-friendly, brand-new crossover like the 500X.
No doubt, all that is true. But before we get too cynical about advertising motives, let’s not forget:
1. FCA wouldn’t have sponsored the parade and taken on the role of grand marshal if it didn’t see the LGBT community as a viable target market. To some degree, the company’s sponsorship says, “Yes, these are important customers, and we value their opinion.” We’ve got clout.
2. FCA’s attitude is due in part to the work of its LGBT Employee Resource Group: the Gay and Lesbian Alliance. GALA has worked tirelessly to ensure that FCA understands the needs of LGBT workers and puts them on the same footing as their straight colleagues. As a result, FCA is today a staunch LGBT ally, which is why the company has earned top marks in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.
And if you don’t believe that we still need all the allies we can get, you’ll find a grim reminder in the comments section of the Detroit News recap of the parade. There’s a reason that wise people say, “STAY OUT OF THE COMMENTS”. Ugh.
But don’t let that ruin your day. If you’re at a computer or on a device of your own, or if you work in a slightly permissive environment, here’s a great, generally safe-for-work palate cleanser of bears in Speedos washing cars for Motor City Pride. Don’t click beyond that, though — the rest of the site can get VERY blue.
Happy Pride, y’all!