June 16, 2014
Levi's Launches Gay Pride Line
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
If your dreams include being forever in blue jeans, your future just got a little brighter: Denim empire Levi's has just introduced a special line of gay-themed gear, just in time for LGBT Pride.
The Huffington Post reports the Levi's Pride line includes both men's and women's T-shirts, a unisex tank top and baseball caps, all with the company's "batwing" logo in rainbow colors, and Pride 2014 stamped on the back.
The gear is available throughout the month of June at select stores in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Sales will benefit local LGBT advocacy organizations.
"Equality is not something we just wear; it's woven into the fabrics of our principles," the company said is a statement.
Out Magazine writes that it's all just another part of a long history of LGBT support for the company. In 1982, they were among the first brands to support the battle against AIDS. In 1992, they became the first company to offer benefits to same-sex couples, and the only California business to file an amicus brief with the California Supreme Court supporting same-sex marriage.
The Human Rights Campaign notes that many companies have chosen to take action to recognize LGBT equality this June. Among them are Apple, Macy's, AT&T, Honey Maid, Kenneth Cole, Nike, General Mills, Nordstrom and Ben & Jerry's, who shared Pride-themed images on social media with the slogan, "Love Comes in All Flavors."
"In the past, most companies and brands rarely -- if ever -- used LGBT-specific themes in marketing or advertisements," they wrote. "Today, companies are focusing sharply on the quickly changing research demonstrating that a vast majority of Americans support LGBT equality. Businesses recognize that it is incredibly unpopular to be anti-gay, and in fact, now view a pro-equality stance as a way to entice the millions of fair-minded Americans who champion LGBT civil rights as an important issue."
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.