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

Abstract

• Timing affects LGBTQ+ observers’ evaluations and attributions of LGBTQ+ allyship displays. • Unlike LGBTQ+ people, Cis-straight people evaluate the authenticity of allyship displays the same regardless of timing. • Attributions of values-driven motives mediate the relationship between allyship timing and perceived authenticity. • Among LGBTQ+ people, the timing of LGBTQ+ allyship displays shapes their belonging and commitment to their organization. Organizations frequently aim to display their allyship with the LGBTQ+ community, often through campaigns, advertisements, and statements, particularly during Pride Month. Although existing research typically focuses on the content of such allyship displays, we integrate theories of attribution and identity safety to reveal how the perceived authenticity of organizational allyship depends on when organizations display it. Across six preregistered experiments using field, laboratory, and online samples, we find that both LGBTQ+ observers (Experiments 1, 3, 5, and 6) and LGBTQ+ employees (Experiments 2 and 4) perceive organizational allyship displays as less authentic when displayed during Pride Month as opposed to other times, even when the content of the allyship display is held constant. We further find that the timing of organizational allyship displays shapes perceived authenticity because timing shapes the extent to which LGBTQ+ individuals attribute values-driven motives to the organization’s allyship (Experiments 3 and 4), a process that, in turn, impacts employees’ sense of belonging and organizational commitment (Experiment 4). Lastly, we find that this effect is unique to LGBTQ+ individuals: non-target groups, such as cis-straight observers, evaluate the authenticity of allyship displays similarly, regardless of timing (Experiments 5 and 6). This work advances research on allyship and has implications for how perceptions of allyship are influenced by social identity. To be an authentic ally, it is not just what an organization says, but also when an organization says it.