When You Say It: How the Timing of LGBTQ+ Allyship Displays Shapes Evaluations of Organizations

Abstract: Organizations often aim to display their allyship with the LGBTQ+ community. While existing research typically focuses on the content of allyship displays, we demonstrate how the timing of allyship displays shapes the evaluations LGBTQ+ observers form of the organization. Across field, laboratory, and online samples, three preregistered experiments reveal that LGBTQ+ individuals perceive organizational allyship displays as less authentic when displayed during Pride Month as opposed to other times—even when holding the content of allyship constant. We further find that the timing of organizational allyship displays influences perceived authenticity because timing shapes the extent LGBTQ+ evaluators attribute values-driven and strategic-driven motives as underlying the organization’s allyship. Our findings have implications for the study and practice of allyship and authenticity: to be an authentic ally, it is not just what an organization says, but also when an organization says it.

Keywords: allyship, authenticity, values, LGBT, pride, attribution