"Nassib could be recruited to star in ads for outspoken brands such as Nike or Gillette, which have previously produced commercials that address racial justice and harmful masculine stereotypes...."

I'm reading "Brands could flock to Nassib after historic coming out announcement" (Reuters). 

So... some companies are going to want to use Nassib, but — according to some marketing expert — they need to be concerned about looking like that's what they're doing. He says: "Rainbow-washing is real."

Rainbow-washing. I'd never noticed that term before, but Googling it, I see it's all over the place. I'll just choose one article: "Rainbow-washing is all the rage among the big corporations this month" (Mic):

Scrolling through your social media feeds, you're likely spotting more and more rainbow avatars as everyone celebrates Pride Month. Some change their avatars to signal they are part of the LGBTQ+ community, others to show their love and support. And then others — read: massive corporations that often have a history of discriminatory policies or affiliations with anti-LGBTQ+ politicians — try to use the rainbow flag as a Band-Aid to cover up all their insidious behavior during the rest of the year. There's a word for this: rainbow-washing.

So, originally the term referred to the rainbow visuals. It's a variation on the familiar term "white-washing," which, of course, isn't about white people but has to do with covering something with a layer of white paint. It's superficial and doesn't deal with deeper problems.  

The marketing expert in the Nassib article is using the term to go beyond rainbows to similarly superficial things.

I'm surprised to read that this is a first — an NFL player comes out as gay.

"What’s up, people? I’m Carl Nassib. I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay." 

 

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A post shared by Carl Nassib (@carlnassib)

 

It's momentous. I had to read it in the newspaper to know that it was momentous — and not just another moment — a "quick moment" — as life goes on around us. I'd seen the clip yesterday, but moved on, thinking, okay, fine. Thanks for the info, not that I knew who you were or need to rearrange any of my mental furniture. 

But this morning I see in WaPo, "Carl Nassib becomes first active NFL player to come out as gay." The article mentions Michael Sam, and the name rings a bell and reminds me why I thought the gay-in-the-NFL issue played out long  ago.

[I]n 2014 — and shortly before he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams — Missouri defensive end Michael Sam publicly announced he is gay. Sam did not play an NFL snap — he was cut by the Rams before the start of his rookie season and was on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad for a month....

So Sam was never an active NFL player. And in June 2014, he withdrew from football for what WaPo calls "mental health reasons." 

It took 7 more years before another NFL player to come out as gay! But now, at long last, there's Carl Nassib, who just wanted to take a quick moment to say he's gay. Now, let the other gay NFL players take their quick moment and make it obvious that Nassib isn't alone. 

Thanks to Carl Nassib!

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A post shared by Carl Nassib (@carlnassib)