From symbolic gestures to systemic change—what new-age allyship looks like and where most organizations still fall short.

Every June, rainbows flood social media feeds, company logos transform into multicolour mosaics, and allyship becomes a trending topic. Pride Month is a powerful reminder of the long road the LGBTQIA+ community has travelled—and the miles yet to go. But as we step into 2025, it’s time to ask: Is corporate allyship evolving beyond the rainbow? Or are we still stuck in performative rituals?

At Marching Sheep, we’ve spent the last decade working closely with organisations to shape inclusive ecosystems—ones that go beyond campaigns and celebrations. What we’re seeing in 2025 is both heartening and cautionary. The conversation around allyship is getting more nuanced, more intersectional, and more systemic. Yet, in many places, the action is still limited to what is visible, safe, and surface-level.

So, what does authentic allyship look like in 2025—and how can organisations embed it meaningfully?

From Visibility to Vulnerability: The Shift in Allyship

Corporate allyship used to be about visibility—participating in Pride parades, putting up posters, launching themed merchandise. While these gestures helped normalise LGBTQIA+ presence at work, they rarely scratched the surface of deeper issues like bias in hiring, lack of leadership representation, or microaggressions in everyday interactions.

In 2025, the definition of allyship has evolved. It is no longer about standing up for someone—it’s about standing with them. It’s about creating systems where LGBTQIA+ voices are not just heard but empowered. It’s about uncomfortable conversations, consistent accountability, and courageous leadership.

Where Most Organisations Still Fall Short

Despite good intentions, many organisations continue to make three critical mistakes:

1. Performative Over Policy

They celebrate Pride but have no gender-neutral bathrooms. They post inclusive graphics but don’t review their hiring or appraisal systems for unconscious bias. True inclusion cannot exist without inclusive policies, infrastructure and practices.

2. Silence in the Face of Discrimination

Allyship isn’t about being loud during Pride Month and silent the rest of the year. When organisations fail to act on instances of homophobia or transphobia, they send a clear message—that inclusion is optional, not essential.

3. One-Size-Fits-All Programs

Many companies still treat the LGBTQIA+ community as a monolith. Allyship cannot be templatized. It must be intersectional, understanding that queerness intersects with gender, caste, socio-economic status, neurodiversity, and more.

What New-Age Allyship Looks Like

At Marching Sheep, we believe allyship is a daily practice—not a project. It starts with introspection, leads to education, and culminates in institutional change. Here’s what we’re helping organisations build in 2025:

1. Inclusive Policies and Benefits

  • Health insurance that covers same-sex partners and gender-affirmation surgeries
  • Gender-neutral parental leave policies
  • Safe transition support for transgender and non-binary employees
  • Zero-tolerance anti-discrimination policies with real teeth

2. Hiring for Representation

We work with hiring teams to audit JDs for gendered language, build queer-friendly interview panels, and create pathways for LGBTQIA+ professionals into leadership roles. Because diversity without equity is for show.

3. Micro-Interventions That Matter

  • Renaming forms to include “Chosen name” and “self-identified gender”
  • Normalizing pronoun-sharing in email signatures and meetings
  • Equipping managers with inclusive language guides and response protocols

4. Creating Safe Spaces

Not just physically, but emotionally. Allyship is about psychological safety. Employees should feel seen, respected, and free to be their authentic selves without fear of ridicule or retaliation.

One of our most impactful interventions this year has been helping organizations set up Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that are led by the community but funded and protected by leadership.

A Culture of Accountability

True allyship demands measurable impact. That’s why we help companies track:

  • LGBTQIA+ representation across levels
  • Inclusion scores in employee engagement surveys
  • Feedback from ERGs
  • Reporting and redressal data around discriminatory behavior

Because what gets measured gets managed—and what gets managed creates momentum.

Marching With Pride—Every Day of the Year

At Marching Sheep, we don’t believe in ticking boxes. We believe in building capacity, capability, and compassion within organisations. Through our Organisation of Allies framework, we help companies:

  • Train leaders to be visible, vocal allies
  • Embed inclusion in onboarding, appraisals, and team rituals
  • Design interventions that are not tokenistic but transformational
  • Celebrate identities without commodifying them
  • Shift from awareness to action to advocacy

Because for us, inclusion is not a side project—it’s the foundation of resilient, future-ready organizations.

The Road Ahead

Corporate allyship in 2025 is standing at a crossroads. The rainbow is no longer enough. We must build cultures where authenticity is not just accepted but celebrated, where allyship is not episodic but embedded.

Let’s not wait for Pride Month to reflect on inclusion. Let’s make inclusion a daily choice, a leadership mandate, and a shared responsibility. Because beyond the rainbow, there’s a world waiting to be seen, heard and embraced. And that’s where real allyship begins.

Link – Beyond the Rainbow: How Corporate Allyship is Evolving in 2025