‘Tis the season in LGBT America: the season of parades and dances and rainbow-colored everything, the time when we look back 44 years to the historic Stonewall Riots and celebrate the progress we’ve made toward equality. (We’ve still got a long way to go, but our recent track record is pretty good.)

‘Tis also the season that major corporations roll out their annual allotment of LGBT-themed ads. While automakers, hotels, and beer and liquor manufacturers pitch to us year-round, many more focus their energies on Pride-themed magazines and newspapers published in the month of June. Like the fragrance companies that run TV spots in December, these folks know it’s a numbers game, and the potential return on investment is higher now.

In that vein, Allstate recently debuted a small LGBT campaign in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The print pieces feature real couples, and one of those couples posted their ad (seen above) to the Gay Marriage USA Facebook page.

So, class: what do we think of that?

On the one hand, we appreciate the acknowledgement. As queasy as niche marketing can make some folks feel, such ads recognize our importance as both human beings and consumers.

On the other hand, it would be nice if this ad came from a corporation with a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index. Allstate received a respectable 85, but 12 other insurers including MetLife, Nationwide, and Progressive landed 100s. (Another seven scored between 90 and 95.)

Does this kind of target marketing make you uncomfortable? Or does it seem like some kind of validation? Judging from the way that corporations target ads to countless demographic groups — women, men, African Americans, Hispanics, seniors, Millennials, and on and on — it’s not likely to go away anytime soon.

[via New Civil Rights Movement]