A briefing for LGBTQ rights campaigners by No Pride In BP, Platform and People & Planet
Pinkwashing:
(n.) a public relations tactic, involving an appeal to LGBT-friendliness, in order to offset or âwashâ over other questionable practices
Is BP a queer-friendly company?
âproud to be a business where you can be yourselfâ – BP website
- BP sponsored National Student Pride in the UK in 2015-2016
- BP is on Stonewallâs Top 100 Employers list and puts on LGBT recruitment events with Stonewall, as well as at universities across the UK
- John Browne, BP CEO of 12 years, recently published a book called The Glass Closet (seriously), âto shine a light on the difficulties that still plague LGBT employeesâ

In recent years fossil fuel company BP has â for strategic reasons â tried to foster an image of being pro-LGBT+ rights. BP is using the queer community as a prop to legitimise their business model – that depends on propping up repressive politicians and as well as dangerous levels of fossil fuel burning.
This briefing will show you how, and what we can do about it. Read on in pdfÂ
By allowing BP to sponsor Pride events and our student LGBTQ+ societies, we give BP permission to ride on the back of LGBTQ+ struggle; cheaply using our pride as a trade off for human rights abuses around the world. Itâs time to refuse BPâs logo on our pride.