As Queer rights take pride of place, major brands are celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month.
The rainbow flag is flying high and at fashion retailer H&M, who asked Siphesihle Dube, a former Western Cape government spokesperson to be part of the H&M Beyond The Rainbow campaign.
The campaign also includes Lethabo Matseke, the store manager at H&M Bloemfontein. Both shared their stories through scanning a code with a cellphone at the retail stores.
The LGBTQIA+ community commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots which took place in Greenwich Village, New York June that year. This year marks 51 years of Pride celebrations.
Dube aka Dollar Debbie on Instagram shared a post proudly standing in front of the billboard of himself which is prominently featured in the window of the V&A Waterfront, H&M store.
He said: “I have enjoyed the overwhelming response I have received from the campaign so far. People have embraced the campaign and its important message, a message ultimately about humanity and the common threads that run through us all.”
Dube said this is a much-needed public campaign: “I believe visibility is important, not just in Pride Month, but always. I believe sharing your story, in an authentic and fearless way, empowers others to feel like they can do the same - to claim their right to exist, be heard, and have their voices truly matter.”
The former spokesperson for the Western Cape Transport and Public Works department is currently an education policy consultant for a non-profit education policy consultancy.
Dube said teaming up with a fashion brand was an exciting prospect. “My grandmother was a big fashion influence growing up. She taught me to be free in how I express myself through fashion. Number one rule is that there are no rules. How I dress is an extension of my personality, which is mostly fun and playful.”
But he knows that there are serious issues that remain challenges for the LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa and abroad and believes companies have a role to play in mindset change.
“I think we all have a responsibility, with whatever platform we have, to shine a spotlight on pressing and urgent social issues. Commercial brands often have very large platforms. It is right for them to use their platforms to empower marginalized communities.”