Companies When Pride Month Ends

2019Reaction image / image macro (recurring annual format)active

Also known as: Pride Month Is Over memes · July 1st memes · Rainbow Capitalism memes

Companies When Pride Month Ends is a 2019 recurring Reddit reaction-image format that mocks corporations abruptly stripping rainbow Pride branding from logos on July 1st.

"Companies When Pride Month Ends" is a recurring meme format that mocks corporations for abruptly removing LGBTQ+ Pride branding from their logos, social media, and merchandise the moment June turns to July1. The format first appeared in late June 2019 on Reddit, where users paired reaction images with captions about companies ditching their rainbow logos at midnight on July 13. It became an annual tradition that skewers what critics call "rainbow capitalism," the practice of adopting Pride aesthetics for commercial gain without meaningful support for the LGBTQ+ community2.

brand participation memeslgbtq memespolitical satire memesannual tradition memesexploitable templates

Overview

The meme takes aim at a specific corporate behavior: every June 1, major brands swap their standard logos for rainbow-colored versions, add Pride messaging to their social media, and stock shelves with Pride-themed merchandise. Then, on July 1, everything reverts. The rainbow logos vanish, the merch disappears, and it's business as usual1.

The humor comes from pairing this rapid logo reversal with reaction images, GIFs, or video clips that convey disgust, betrayal, indifference, or swift abandonment. Common templates include Thanos saying "I don't even know who you are," characters ripping off disguises, people making rude gestures at Pride flags, or real photos of workers physically taking down Pride decorations2. The format works because the corporate behavior is so predictable that users can prepare memes days in advance, posting them at midnight on July 13.

The format emerged on June 30, 2019, the final day of that year's Pride Month. On July 1, companies including AT&T, IBM, PETA, and Xbox switched their temporarily rainbow-colored logos back to their standard designs3. That same night, Redditor Reilers posted what Know Your Meme identifies as the earliest known example: a meme using the "I Don't Even Know Who You Are" Thanos macro, anticipating the corporate about-face. The post picked up over 61,900 upvotes in three days3.

The very next day, July 1, Redditor Jaxynw posted a screenshot of the popular "Two Bros Chilling in a Hot Tub" Vine (two men sitting conspicuously far apart because they're "not gay") with the caption "Companies as soon as gay pride month ends." That post earned over 68,400 upvotes in two days2. On Instagram, user humanity.gone24 posted their own version, pulling in 13,700 views and 4,900 likes within a day3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Reddit (earliest posts), Twitter, Instagram (concurrent spread)
Key People
Redditor Reilers, Redditor Jaxynw
Date
2019

The format emerged on June 30, 2019, the final day of that year's Pride Month. On July 1, companies including AT&T, IBM, PETA, and Xbox switched their temporarily rainbow-colored logos back to their standard designs. That same night, Redditor Reilers posted what Know Your Meme identifies as the earliest known example: a meme using the "I Don't Even Know Who You Are" Thanos macro, anticipating the corporate about-face. The post picked up over 61,900 upvotes in three days.

The very next day, July 1, Redditor Jaxynw posted a screenshot of the popular "Two Bros Chilling in a Hot Tub" Vine (two men sitting conspicuously far apart because they're "not gay") with the caption "Companies as soon as gay pride month ends." That post earned over 68,400 upvotes in two days. On Instagram, user humanity.gone24 posted their own version, pulling in 13,700 views and 4,900 likes within a day.

How It Spread

The meme spread rapidly across Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram during the first few days of July 2019. The format was easy to replicate: take any reaction image or clip expressing betrayal or dismissal, slap on a caption about corporations ditching Pride, and post. Twitter users shared real-time screenshots of companies reverting their profile pictures, sometimes posting side-by-side comparisons of a brand's June 30 vs. July 1 avatar.

By 2020, the format had become an annual tradition. Every June 30 and July 1, fresh batches of memes flooded social media. The jokes expanded beyond simple logo swaps. One widely shared tweet captured a city crew painting over a rainbow crosswalk at what appeared to be the stroke of midnight, prompting outrage and jokes about bureaucratic urgency. Users also began creating anticipatory memes days before June ended, treating July 1 as a kind of anti-holiday.

The meme spawned a related annual tradition: the joke concept of "Wrath Month." Since conservative critics often point out that "pride" is one of the seven deadly sins, the LGBTQ+ community co-opted this framing by declaring July as Wrath Month, another deadly sin that fits the community's frustration with performative corporate allyship. By the mid-2020s, both "Companies When Pride Month Ends" memes and "Wrath Month" posts had become predictable fixtures of the July 1 internet calendar.

The format also lent itself to broader jokes about queerness itself. Some memes jokingly told LGBTQ+ people to "stop being gay" on July 1, or suggested that heterosexual people could finally "resume existing". Others mocked the implicit corporate logic that LGBTQ+ identity is seasonal, with captions like "Surprise, we're not gay anymore, it was just a phase".

How to Use This Meme

The format typically follows a simple structure:

1

Pick a reaction image, GIF, or video clip that conveys sudden abandonment, betrayal, or indifference. Popular choices include characters ripping off costumes, people throwing things in the trash, or dramatic exits.

2

Add a caption along the lines of "Companies on July 1st," "Corporations when Pride Month ends," or "Every brand at midnight on June 30th."

3

Post on June 30 or July 1 for maximum timing.

Cultural Impact

The meme tapped into growing public skepticism about "rainbow capitalism," a term describing corporations that adopt LGBTQ+ Pride aesthetics primarily as a marketing strategy rather than out of genuine support. Critics point out that some companies with rainbow June logos also donate to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians or have poor records on workplace equality for queer employees.

The format gave casual internet users a way to articulate this critique without writing a think piece. A single image macro could make the same point that a 2,000-word essay about corporate performativity might make, and reach a far wider audience. News outlets including the Daily Dot and Distractify covered the meme trend, further amplifying its reach.

The annual recurrence of these memes also put pressure on some brands to extend their Pride messaging beyond June or to pair their rainbow logos with concrete actions like donations to LGBTQ+ organizations. As Distractify noted, encountering a company that maintained Pride support past June would be so unexpected that people wouldn't know how to react.

Fun Facts

The Jaxynw Reddit post that helped popularize the format earned over 69,000 upvotes, which the Daily Dot couldn't resist noting with a parenthetical "(nice)".

The earliest known meme in the format was posted *before* midnight on June 30, 2019, meaning Redditor Reilers was making fun of companies for something they hadn't even done yet.

The "Wrath Month" joke works on multiple levels: wrath is both a deadly sin (matching Pride) and an emotion many LGBTQ+ people feel toward both corporate performativity and ongoing discrimination.

Some memes in the format use clips of Gordon Ramsay saying "what a shame" to express disappointment at the corporate reversal.

An Elliot Page quote about deserving "to experience love fully, equally, without shame" was cited in meme roundups as a counter to the cynicism of corporate Pride abandonment.

Derivatives & Variations

Wrath Month memes:

The LGBTQ+ community declared July "Wrath Month" (another deadly sin), turning conservative criticism of "Pride" into a joke that extends queer celebration into July[2].

Whitney Chewston / Homophobic Dog:

A dog named Whitney Chewston, owned by gay couple Ben Campbell and Logan Hickman, became a recurring character in Pride Month ending memes despite not actually being homophobic[1].

Wildflower (Philippine TV) edits:

Clips from the iconic Philippine television show *Wildflower* were repurposed to mock corporate exploitation of Pride[1].

City crosswalk memes:

Real footage and photos of cities painting over rainbow crosswalks on July 1 became a sub-genre of the format, blurring the line between meme and documentary[1].

"I never really was on your side" variants:

Using the TF2 Spy or similar betrayal quotes to frame the corporate logo revert as an unmasking[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

Companies When Pride Month Ends

2019Reaction image / image macro (recurring annual format)active

Also known as: Pride Month Is Over memes · July 1st memes · Rainbow Capitalism memes

Companies When Pride Month Ends is a 2019 recurring Reddit reaction-image format that mocks corporations abruptly stripping rainbow Pride branding from logos on July 1st.

"Companies When Pride Month Ends" is a recurring meme format that mocks corporations for abruptly removing LGBTQ+ Pride branding from their logos, social media, and merchandise the moment June turns to July. The format first appeared in late June 2019 on Reddit, where users paired reaction images with captions about companies ditching their rainbow logos at midnight on July 1. It became an annual tradition that skewers what critics call "rainbow capitalism," the practice of adopting Pride aesthetics for commercial gain without meaningful support for the LGBTQ+ community.

brand participation memes lgbtq memes political satire memes annual tradition memes exploitable templates

Overview

The meme takes aim at a specific corporate behavior: every June 1, major brands swap their standard logos for rainbow-colored versions, add Pride messaging to their social media, and stock shelves with Pride-themed merchandise. Then, on July 1, everything reverts. The rainbow logos vanish, the merch disappears, and it's business as usual.

The humor comes from pairing this rapid logo reversal with reaction images, GIFs, or video clips that convey disgust, betrayal, indifference, or swift abandonment. Common templates include Thanos saying "I don't even know who you are," characters ripping off disguises, people making rude gestures at Pride flags, or real photos of workers physically taking down Pride decorations. The format works because the corporate behavior is so predictable that users can prepare memes days in advance, posting them at midnight on July 1.

The format emerged on June 30, 2019, the final day of that year's Pride Month. On July 1, companies including AT&T, IBM, PETA, and Xbox switched their temporarily rainbow-colored logos back to their standard designs. That same night, Redditor Reilers posted what Know Your Meme identifies as the earliest known example: a meme using the "I Don't Even Know Who You Are" Thanos macro, anticipating the corporate about-face. The post picked up over 61,900 upvotes in three days.

The very next day, July 1, Redditor Jaxynw posted a screenshot of the popular "Two Bros Chilling in a Hot Tub" Vine (two men sitting conspicuously far apart because they're "not gay") with the caption "Companies as soon as gay pride month ends." That post earned over 68,400 upvotes in two days. On Instagram, user humanity.gone24 posted their own version, pulling in 13,700 views and 4,900 likes within a day.

Origin & Background

Platform
Reddit (earliest posts), Twitter, Instagram (concurrent spread)
Key People
Redditor Reilers, Redditor Jaxynw
Date
2019

The format emerged on June 30, 2019, the final day of that year's Pride Month. On July 1, companies including AT&T, IBM, PETA, and Xbox switched their temporarily rainbow-colored logos back to their standard designs. That same night, Redditor Reilers posted what Know Your Meme identifies as the earliest known example: a meme using the "I Don't Even Know Who You Are" Thanos macro, anticipating the corporate about-face. The post picked up over 61,900 upvotes in three days.

The very next day, July 1, Redditor Jaxynw posted a screenshot of the popular "Two Bros Chilling in a Hot Tub" Vine (two men sitting conspicuously far apart because they're "not gay") with the caption "Companies as soon as gay pride month ends." That post earned over 68,400 upvotes in two days. On Instagram, user humanity.gone24 posted their own version, pulling in 13,700 views and 4,900 likes within a day.

How It Spread

The meme spread rapidly across Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram during the first few days of July 2019. The format was easy to replicate: take any reaction image or clip expressing betrayal or dismissal, slap on a caption about corporations ditching Pride, and post. Twitter users shared real-time screenshots of companies reverting their profile pictures, sometimes posting side-by-side comparisons of a brand's June 30 vs. July 1 avatar.

By 2020, the format had become an annual tradition. Every June 30 and July 1, fresh batches of memes flooded social media. The jokes expanded beyond simple logo swaps. One widely shared tweet captured a city crew painting over a rainbow crosswalk at what appeared to be the stroke of midnight, prompting outrage and jokes about bureaucratic urgency. Users also began creating anticipatory memes days before June ended, treating July 1 as a kind of anti-holiday.

The meme spawned a related annual tradition: the joke concept of "Wrath Month." Since conservative critics often point out that "pride" is one of the seven deadly sins, the LGBTQ+ community co-opted this framing by declaring July as Wrath Month, another deadly sin that fits the community's frustration with performative corporate allyship. By the mid-2020s, both "Companies When Pride Month Ends" memes and "Wrath Month" posts had become predictable fixtures of the July 1 internet calendar.

The format also lent itself to broader jokes about queerness itself. Some memes jokingly told LGBTQ+ people to "stop being gay" on July 1, or suggested that heterosexual people could finally "resume existing". Others mocked the implicit corporate logic that LGBTQ+ identity is seasonal, with captions like "Surprise, we're not gay anymore, it was just a phase".

How to Use This Meme

The format typically follows a simple structure:

1

Pick a reaction image, GIF, or video clip that conveys sudden abandonment, betrayal, or indifference. Popular choices include characters ripping off costumes, people throwing things in the trash, or dramatic exits.

2

Add a caption along the lines of "Companies on July 1st," "Corporations when Pride Month ends," or "Every brand at midnight on June 30th."

3

Post on June 30 or July 1 for maximum timing.

Cultural Impact

The meme tapped into growing public skepticism about "rainbow capitalism," a term describing corporations that adopt LGBTQ+ Pride aesthetics primarily as a marketing strategy rather than out of genuine support. Critics point out that some companies with rainbow June logos also donate to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians or have poor records on workplace equality for queer employees.

The format gave casual internet users a way to articulate this critique without writing a think piece. A single image macro could make the same point that a 2,000-word essay about corporate performativity might make, and reach a far wider audience. News outlets including the Daily Dot and Distractify covered the meme trend, further amplifying its reach.

The annual recurrence of these memes also put pressure on some brands to extend their Pride messaging beyond June or to pair their rainbow logos with concrete actions like donations to LGBTQ+ organizations. As Distractify noted, encountering a company that maintained Pride support past June would be so unexpected that people wouldn't know how to react.

Fun Facts

The Jaxynw Reddit post that helped popularize the format earned over 69,000 upvotes, which the Daily Dot couldn't resist noting with a parenthetical "(nice)".

The earliest known meme in the format was posted *before* midnight on June 30, 2019, meaning Redditor Reilers was making fun of companies for something they hadn't even done yet.

The "Wrath Month" joke works on multiple levels: wrath is both a deadly sin (matching Pride) and an emotion many LGBTQ+ people feel toward both corporate performativity and ongoing discrimination.

Some memes in the format use clips of Gordon Ramsay saying "what a shame" to express disappointment at the corporate reversal.

An Elliot Page quote about deserving "to experience love fully, equally, without shame" was cited in meme roundups as a counter to the cynicism of corporate Pride abandonment.

Derivatives & Variations

Wrath Month memes:

The LGBTQ+ community declared July "Wrath Month" (another deadly sin), turning conservative criticism of "Pride" into a joke that extends queer celebration into July[2].

Whitney Chewston / Homophobic Dog:

A dog named Whitney Chewston, owned by gay couple Ben Campbell and Logan Hickman, became a recurring character in Pride Month ending memes despite not actually being homophobic[1].

Wildflower (Philippine TV) edits:

Clips from the iconic Philippine television show *Wildflower* were repurposed to mock corporate exploitation of Pride[1].

City crosswalk memes:

Real footage and photos of cities painting over rainbow crosswalks on July 1 became a sub-genre of the format, blurring the line between meme and documentary[1].

"I never really was on your side" variants:

Using the TF2 Spy or similar betrayal quotes to frame the corporate logo revert as an unmasking[1].

Frequently Asked Questions