Op/Ed: Even beyond Pride Month, it’s important to promote diversity in Indiana

Pride Month may have come and gone, but the importance of diversity is here to stay. This year’s celebration of traditionally underrepresented communities has been perhaps the most powerful in U.S. history, culminating in the recent Dubois County PRIDE! Festival.

Hosted by Dubois County Pride in Jasper, the festival attracted dozens and dozens of Hoosiers, who came together for an unforgettable day of unity, love, and acceptance. It was also an opportunity for the people of Indiana to learn more about their neighbors as we embraced the vibrant diversity of our community. While such celebrations of Pride Month are valuable steps in the direction, they should be seen only as building blocks for the future—a foundation to promote diversity moving forward, and not just some finished product.

I work in brand marketing myself, so “Pride Month” is an interesting case study in targeting audiences that matter. As a marketer, the general rule of thumb is to attract a diverse audience of consumers, broadening your brand’s appeal. This involves putting yourself in the mind of your targeted persona, even if that persona doesn’t look or sound like you. The best marketers know how to wear other people’s shoes, tailoring and amplifying different messages that resonate with different types of consumers.

Diversity of this kind has many applications, especially in Indiana. For example, as our state continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism will be integral to a broader economic rebound. Visitor spending adds nearly $9 billion to Indiana’s economy—out of each dollar spent, 65 cents stay in the state. Tourism also generates over $1 billion in state and local taxes, funding a wide range of government programs that many Hoosiers desperately need.

By attracting diverse visitors to Indiana, the state’s bottom line only benefits. LGBT travelers make up as much as 10 percent of the U.S. travel industry, bringing their hard-earned tax dollars with them. By 2030, the global LGBT tourism market is projected to reach almost $570 billion, and Indiana can certainly tap into that massive sum. Studies show that members of the LGBT community also travel more and exhibit higher-than-average spending patterns, making it all the more important for Indiana to leverage their so-called “pink dollars.”

Bottom line aside, diverse communities make states like Indiana better places to live and work. The best destinations can boast a wide range of activities and amenities that resonate with various people, even those outside the “mainstream.”

From golf and tennis to restaurants and Pride events, aren’t the most exciting places the ones with the most options? Who wants to be in a place where everything is the same? Or everyone looks and sounds alike?

Diversity leads to the visibility of all Americans. I, for one, am proud to live in Dubois County, where diversity is celebrated and people are welcoming to others. We may not live in a hotspot like New York or Washington, D.C. (where I’m from), but even small towns can be national leaders on the diversity front.

With Pride Month coming to a close, there are many lessons for us to learn. One of the most important is to think beyond yourself and consider the lives of others. During the pandemic, “We’re all in this together” became a common refrain, and the same applies today.

Whether you’ve lived in Indiana for years or you’re just visiting for the first time, let’s take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come as a diverse society. And at the same time, let’s continue making the world a better place.

Angelo Lagdameo is a branding consultant based in Jasper, Indiana.