# Companies When Pride Month Ends > 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[1]. 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[3]. 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[2]. ## Origin 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[3]. 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[3]. 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[2]. On Instagram, user humanity.gone24 posted their own version, pulling in 13,700 views and 4,900 likes within a day[3]. - **Platform:** Reddit (earliest posts), Twitter, Instagram (concurrent spread) - **Creator:** Redditor Reilers (earliest known post), Redditor Jaxynw (most upvoted early example) - **Date:** 2019 ## 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[1]. 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[2]. 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[3]. ## How It Spread The meme spread rapidly across Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram during the first few days of July 2019[3]. 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[2]. By 2020, the format had become an annual tradition. Every June 30 and July 1, fresh batches of memes flooded social media[1]. 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[1]. Users also began creating anticipatory memes days before June ended, treating July 1 as a kind of anti-holiday[2]. 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[2]. 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[2]. 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"[2]. 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"[1]. ## How to Use 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[2]. 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[1]. 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[1][2]. 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[1]. ## 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)"[2]. - 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[3]. - 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[2]. - Some memes in the format use clips of Gordon Ramsay saying "what a shame" to express disappointment at the corporate reversal[1]. - 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[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "Companies When Pride Month Ends"? It's a recurring meme format that mocks corporations for immediately removing their rainbow-themed logos and Pride branding on July 1, the day after Pride Month ends[1][3]. ### Where did "Companies When Pride Month Ends" come from? The format originated on Reddit on June 30, 2019, when Redditor Reilers posted the first known example using a Thanos "I Don't Even Know Who You Are" macro[3]. ### What does "Companies When Pride Month Ends" mean? The meme satirizes "rainbow capitalism," the practice of corporations adopting LGBTQ+ Pride aesthetics for commercial benefit during June without offering genuine, year-round support to the community[2]. ### How do you use "Companies When Pride Month Ends"? Pair any reaction image or video showing sudden abandonment or betrayal with a caption about corporations on July 1, and post it on June 30 or July 1 for best timing[1]. ### Is "Companies When Pride Month Ends" still popular? Yes. The format recurs every year around June 30 and July 1, with fresh batches of memes appearing annually as companies predictably revert their logos[2]. ### What is rainbow capitalism? Rainbow capitalism refers to companies dressing up their logos, stores, and marketing in LGBTQ+ Pride colors to sell products or appear as allies, without putting real effort into supporting or hiring from the queer community[2]. ### Which companies are targeted in these memes? AT&T, IBM, PETA, Xbox, and many other major brands that temporarily adopted Pride flag logos during June 2019 were among the first targets, but essentially any company that does the rainbow-logo swap is fair game[3]. ### What is Wrath Month? Wrath Month is a joke by the LGBTQ+ community declaring July as the month of Wrath (another deadly sin, following Pride), both extending queer celebration and channeling frustration at performative corporate allyship[2]. ### Who posted the most upvoted early version? Redditor Jaxynw posted a version on July 1, 2019, using a "Two Bros in a Hot Tub" Vine screenshot that earned over 68,400 upvotes in two days[3]. ### Do any companies maintain Pride branding past June? According to Distractify's coverage, companies maintaining visible LGBTQ+ support after Pride Month was so rare that the author said they wouldn't even know how to react if they saw it[1]. ## References 1. [Memes to Mock How Companies Act When Pride Month Ends]() 2. [Pride Month Is Over, Time To Mourn With Memes]() 3. [Companies When Pride Month Ends - Know Your Meme]() 4. [Pride (LGBTQ culture)]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/companies-when-pride-month-ends Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library