Aesop’s annual Pride campaign, the Queer Library, is back once again
It can be hard to know how to feel about corporate Pride campaigns. At their worst, they’ve come under fire for capitalising on queer identities and offering back very little to the community in return. Sometimes, the optics of a rainbow logo hide the ugly truth of companies that have donated to anti-LGBTQ+ causes and politicians.
On the other hand, seeing mainstream support for and representation of the queer community remains vital for many people. “As a queer kid who grew up in a Muslim country, seeing the rainbow flag championed in any capacity – no matter how tacky – always sparks joy,” Shaf Shajahan told Dazed in 2022. “For every privileged white gay that complains about Primark’s ‘disgusting pride sock collection’, there is a POC queer person in the world who would do anything to have a pair, or worse, be persecuted for wearing one.”
One brand that has consistently had a good Pride initiative is Aesop, which for the last four years has cleared out the stock of selected stores around the world, turning them into libraries where people can pick up a queer book for free. This year, in the UK, the library will be held at Aesop’s Lexington Street store in Soho. From June 27 to 30, you can head down to the shop and browse shelves full of books by LGBTQ+ authors and allies. The books will be completely free, because, as Aesop says, the initiative is a celebration not a profitable endeavour.
This year, the focus of the library will be on the intersection of queer and racial identities. The texts featured were selected by Aesop team members and sourced from independent queer bookstore Gay’s The Word, alongside a variety of other publishers. There will also be a complimentary audiobook in partnership with Faber and xigxag: Jason Okundaye’s debut, Revolutionary Acts: Love & Brotherhood in Black Gay Britain, to offer an accessible alternative to the printed word.
Corporate support and rainbow capitalism will only get us so far, and, ultimately, is not the way to queer liberation. However, in a time when queer rights continue to be attacked, it’s important that brands step up, show up and support the community this Pride season, and all year around.