Google All In: Genuine Pride or Rainbow-Washed Publicity?

June is Pride Month, a time full of visibility, celebration, and activism for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2025, Google launched its Google All In platform—a clear commitment to presenting tools and campaigns that explicitly celebrate diversity and pride. At the same time, however, the company has made controversial internal decisions, such as removing key Pride dates from Google Calendar and cutting corporate diversity programs. Is the celebration a smokescreen or a signal of genuine commitment? Let's investigate. 1. Visible Initiatives: What Google All In Does In its official blog, published on June 1, 2025, Google detailed how it "celebrates Pride" through its Google All In platform: Google Maps and Waze now alert about street closures and traffic changes during parades, also showing "LGBTQ+ friendly" space labels to facilitate the location of safe and welcoming places. Google Arts & Culture presents collections about queer history, including inspiring art and reviews of LGBTQ+ flags and symbols. Google Play offers hubs of applications and games created by LGBTQ+ developers, plus books and readings with Pride themes. YouTube Music highlights playlists dedicated to Pride, from energetic anthems to introspective pieces. On June 1, a Google Doodle honored hyperpop, a pioneering musical genre in the queer community, with maximalist aesthetics and glitch art. These actions show a proactive Google, applying digital tools to amplify LGBTQ+ visibility in routes, culture, entertainment, and art. 2. Background Cuts: The Scent of Fading Ink? However, visible support coincides with controversial movements: In February 2025, Google eliminated key cultural events—such as Pride Month, Black History Month, Women's History Month, and Indigenous Peoples Month—from its default calendar. Google justified this decision by stating that manually maintaining hundreds of global cultural dates was not "scalable or sustainable" and that it planned to focus only on official national holidays. At the same time, it made the decision to eliminate its diversity-based hiring goals, reviewing much of its DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) strategy. According to Reuters, Google reached 60% of those goals in 2024, but decided it would not continue with aspirational objectives and would review those programs. 3. The Contrast: Visibility vs. Substance This dual pattern—brilliant publicity vs. discrete internal actions—has generated mixed reactions: The TransVitae blog noted that the hyperpop Doodle is a joyful gesture, but they labeled the calendar withdrawals as an "alarming signal" that diversity support at Google might be just a facade. Forbes and The Guardian have reported how various companies, including Google, are cutting back on Pride and other DEI efforts, driven by political pressures from the Trump administration and a more restrictive legal environment. Crucially, Google is withdrawing its sponsorships from relevant events like Pride Toronto 2025, citing "funding evaluations" and stating they will focus their support on "internal community moments." 4. Why Does This Dichotomy Occur? Several factors seem to influence: External Pressures and Political Changes With a US federal government that has restricted DEI in government agencies, large contractor companies like Google have had to review their programs. Corporate Fears According to studies like Gravity Research's, 39% of companies planned to reduce their Pride campaigns in 2025, mainly due to fear of legal retaliation or political pressure, not necessarily for economic reasons. Publicity vs. Real Commitment Marketing is visible and viral; withdrawing internal commitments is less so. Google seems to be betting on striking public appearances—Doodles, playlists, curated apps—while reducing its structural and financial investment. 5. Human Focus: The Community Deserves More Than Neon Lights From a human perspective, Pride celebrations are not just a color palette; they represent: Public and legal recognition of rights that are still not guaranteed in many places. Financial support for events, marches, organizations, and LGBTQ+ artists. Real institutional changes, such as hiring inclusively, maintaining diversity objectives, and creating safe environments for employees. Digital initiatives—maps with labels, festive doodles, queer app hubs—help make visible. But backoffice cuts and financial resources send a clear signal: Google All In's pride may be being used as a marketing tool, rather than as genuine social commitment. 6. Possible Paths: What Google Can Do Now To move from exhibition to action, Google could: Reintegrate Pride and other commemorative dates, not just as a user option, but as part of the official global calendar. Let them not disappear behind an automatic toggle. Maintain diversity objectives in hiring, especially in senior positions, backed by transparent metrics. Invest in public events, sponsor Pride Festivals, support organizations like Pride Toronto beyond "internal moments," without corporate excuses. Communicate transparently, publicly explaining how they maintain their support and how their internal decisions reinforce their external message. 7. Conclusion: Beyond the Flag Google All In brings a diverse set of festive digital tools for Pride Month: maps, art, music, apps, and doodles that allow visibility and celebration. However, these actions coexist with questionable corporate decisions: eliminating Pride from the default calendar, ending diversity hiring goals, and withdrawing sponsorships from community events. Does this mean Google doesn't really support the LGBTQ+ collective? Not necessarily. But it does warn that support may be superficial: showy at first glance, but weak in its underlying structure. In a difficult year, with cuts and financial brakes due to political pressure, Google has the opportunity to demonstrate that its "pride" goes beyond colors and campaigns. If it wants to be truly All In, it must demonstrate it in financial investment, in hiring disciplines, and in continuous public commitment. Final Note As readers, it's essential to demand coherence. That a company displays its rainbows is not enough if there's no substance behind it: that the contact be human, the message honest, and that actions accompany declarations. Because Pride is not just a celebration; it's a daily fight for rights, recognition, and dignity. And in such a significant battle, digital tools are useful. But achieving real change requires resources, institutional commitment, and the will to sustain it beyond one month. At Control Terrestre, we believe in logistics that is also human, diverse, and conscious of social impact. We support respect, inclusion, and visibility every day of the year, not just in June. Because moving the world also means advancing toward a more just future for all people. 🏳️‍🌈