5 Examples of Inclusion Varnishing (And What Real Inclusion Looks Like)
I coined the term "inclusion varnishing" because I kept seeing the same pattern everywhere: surface-level gestures that look like inclusion and change nothing underneath.
Like varnish on furniture - it looks shiny and new on the surface, and the structure hasn't changed at all.
The dominant culture gets to feel inclusive while keeping all the actual power, imagery, and cultural space for themselves. Marginalized groups are expected to be grateful for the "inclusion" while our actual traditions, identities, and needs are erased or appropriated.
It shows up everywhere. Religion. Corporate DEI. LGBTQ+ "support." Racial "equity" initiatives. Disability "awareness." Once you see the pattern, you can't unsee it.
Here are five concrete examples and what real inclusion would actually look like.
Example 1: "Festival of Lights" (That's Actually Just Christmas)
The Varnishing:
A town holds a "Festival of Lights" event in December. The name sounds inclusive. After all, Chanukah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. Surely this is celebrating multiple traditions, right?
Except the entire event is Christmas. Santa, reindeer, Christmas tree, red and green everything, caroling, hot cocoa with candy canes. Zero actual Chanukah celebration. No menorah lighting. No dreidels. No acknowledgment of what Chanukah actually is.
They borrowed the Jewish name to appear inclusive while celebrating exclusively Christian traditions.
Why It's Harmful:
This is appropriation disguised as inclusivity. It takes the language of a marginalized tradition and uses it as decoration for the dominant culture's celebration. It requires Jewish people to either participate in a Christian event that appropriated our holiday's name, or skip it and be excluded.
And when you call it out? You're told you're being oversensitive. "It's just a name!" "We're trying to be inclusive!" "Why are you making this about religion?"
The dominant culture gets credit for "inclusion" without doing any actual work to include.
What Real Inclusion Looks Like:
Real inclusion would be a "Winter Celebrations" event that genuinely honors Christmas AND Chanukah AND winter solstice (if applicable) AND any other winter holidays appropriate to the town’s population with equal time, space, and respect.
Menorah lighting and explanation of Chanukah's meaning
Christmas tree lighting and caroling
Solstice and/or ceremonies relevant to the community
Equal imagery, equal programming, equal cultural respect
Or - and here's a radical thought - call it what it is. "Christmas Celebration." Be honest about what you're celebrating instead of appropriating other traditions' names while erasing them.
Example 2: Rainbow Logo in June, Zero LGBTQ+ Protections
The Varnishing:
Every June, companies change their logos to rainbow versions. Pride month social media posts. "We celebrate diversity!" graphics. Email signatures with pronouns. Maybe a Pride parade sponsorship.
Meanwhile, the actual policies:
No trans-inclusive healthcare coverage
No same-sex partner benefits (or benefits that exclude non-married partners)
No protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity
Zero LGBTQ+ people in leadership positions
No employee resource groups with actual budget or power
The rainbow logo costs nothing. The actual structural changes that would support LGBTQ+ employees? Those cost money and require giving up power.
Why It's Harmful:
This is performative allyship. It lets companies look progressive without doing the work. Worse, it creates cover—when you call out their lack of actual support, they point to the rainbow logo as "proof" they're inclusive.
It requires LGBTQ+ employees to be grateful for the aesthetics while experiencing actual discrimination in policy and practice. It's emotional labor on top of structural harm.
What Real Inclusion Looks Like:
Real inclusion means:
Trans-inclusive healthcare that covers transition-related care
Benefits that recognize all partnership structures, not just state-recognized marriages
Clear anti-discrimination policies with teeth
LGBTQ+ representation in leadership at all levels
Employee resource groups with actual budget and decision-making power
Year-round support, not just June performance
The rainbow logo is fine IF it's backed by actual policy change. Without that? It's varnish.
Example 3: MLK Day Email, No Black Leadership
The Varnishing:
January rolls around. Companies send MLK Day emails with inspirational quotes about justice and equality. Social media posts honoring Dr. King's legacy. Maybe a volunteer day of service.
The actual organization:
Zero Black people in C-suite or board positions
Persistent racial pay gaps
No diversity hiring initiatives with measurable goals
No examination of racist policies or practices
All-white leadership making decisions that affect Black employees and customers
They're using MLK's words and legacy without doing the work he called for. Quoting a man who demanded structural change while refusing to make structural changes.
Why It's Harmful:
This appropriates Black liberation struggle as corporate branding. It lets predominantly white organizations feel good about themselves while maintaining white supremacy in structure and practice.
It requires Black employees to watch their employer profit from MLK's image while experiencing racism in policy, pay, and promotion. It's insulting and exhausting.
What Real Inclusion Looks Like:
Real racial equity means:
Black representation in leadership—C-suite, board, VP level
Pay equity audits with transparent results and action plans
Hiring initiatives that actually increase Black representation at all levels
Anti-racism training with accountability (not one-off workshops)
Policies that address systemic racism in promotion, evaluation, and discipline
Listening to and centering Black employees' experiences and needs
Honor MLK by doing the work he demanded. Otherwise, don't use his words.
Example 4: "Happy Holidays" in Red and Green
The Varnishing:
Instead of "Merry Christmas," signs say "Happy Holidays!" Progressive! Inclusive! Respectful of religious diversity!
Except the entire display is red and green. Christmas trees. Santa. Reindeer. Holly and ivy. Candy canes. Everything is Christmas imagery.
The message is clear: "We mean Christmas, but we're being polite about it."
Why It's Harmful:
This is semantic inclusion without actual inclusion. The language changed. The dominance didn't.
Non-Christians are expected to decode "Happy Holidays" as "Merry Christmas" and be grateful for the linguistic politeness while our actual holidays are ignored or erased. We're supposed to appreciate that they didn't explicitly say "Christmas" while everything else screams it.
It's gaslighting dressed up as sensitivity.
What Real Inclusion Looks Like:
If you're celebrating multiple holidays:
Use imagery from multiple traditions (menorah AND tree, not just tree)
Give equal space and respect to each tradition
Learn and share what each holiday actually means
Don't treat non-Christian holidays as decorative additions to Christmas
If you're celebrating Christmas specifically:
Say "Merry Christmas"
Be honest about what you're celebrating
Don't pretend Christmas dominance is religious diversity
Honesty is more respectful than performative politeness that maintains the same power structure.
Example 5: "We Value Disability Inclusion" (Posted on an Inaccessible Website)
The Varnishing:
Organizations post about Disability Awareness Month. Social media graphics celebrating disability inclusion. "We value diverse abilities!" messaging.
The actual accessibility:
Website not screen-reader compatible
No closed captions on videos
Physical spaces with no wheelchair access or only "accessible" via freight elevator in the back
Job postings requiring abilities not essential to the role
No accommodations process or accommodations require extensive documentation and fighting
They celebrate disability inclusion while maintaining ableist structures that exclude disabled people.
Why It's Harmful:
This signals that disabled people are valued in theory and not in practice. The organization wants credit for caring about disability without doing the work to actually include disabled people.
Disabled people are expected to be grateful for the awareness posts while experiencing constant barriers to participation. It's exhausting to celebrate your own exclusion.
What Real Inclusion Looks Like:
Real disability inclusion means:
Accessible digital spaces (WCAG compliant websites, captioned videos, alt text)
Physically accessible buildings with dignity (front entrance, not freight elevator)
Accommodation processes that trust disabled people about their needs
Job descriptions that only require abilities essential to the role
Disability representation in leadership and decision-making
Budget allocated to accessibility, not just awareness
Awareness without access is performance. Access is inclusion.
How to Recognize Inclusion Varnishing
You're looking at inclusion varnishing when:
The aesthetics changed, and the structure didn't.
Language is "inclusive" and imagery remains dominant culture
Symbols are borrowed and meaning is erased
Representation is visual and not in decision-making power
Marginalized people are expected to be grateful.
"We tried to be inclusive!" is the defense
Calling it out is labeled as oversensitive or ungrateful
The burden is on marginalized groups to accept it graciously
It costs nothing and changes nothing.
No budget allocated
No power shared
No actual policy changes
No discomfort for dominant culture
It appropriates without honoring.
Takes language, symbols, or imagery from marginalized cultures
Uses them as decoration for dominant culture events
Erases actual meaning and context
Treats traditions as aesthetic, not lived reality
It requires emotional labor from those "included."
Marginalized people must decode what's really being said
Must explain why it's harmful (repeatedly)
Must watch their culture/identity used as corporate branding
Must choose between participating in erasure or being excluded
What Real Inclusion Actually Requires
Real inclusion isn't easy. It's not cheap. It's not comfortable for the dominant culture.
Real inclusion means:
Sharing power. Not representation, actual decision-making authority. Marginalized people in leadership positions with a real budget and autonomy.
Structural change. Not policy statements, measurable changes in hiring, pay, promotion, access, and resources.
Discomfort. The dominant culture has to give up space, center other voices, examine their privilege, and change behavior.
Budget. Real inclusion costs money. Accessibility infrastructure, healthcare coverage, pay equity, diverse hiring - these require resources.
Ongoing work. Not performative gestures during awareness months. Year-round commitment with accountability.
Listening to and centering marginalized voices. Not asking for free labor - paying consultants, hiring from communities, following leadership of those most affected.
If your "inclusion" doesn't require any of this? It's varnish.
Why This Matters
Inclusion varnishing is harmful because it creates the appearance of progress while maintaining oppression. It lets dominant culture feel good about themselves without doing the work. It appropriates the language of justice while refusing to pursue justice.
And it requires marginalized people to either accept the performance or be labeled ungrateful troublemakers for calling it out.
When we name inclusion varnishing - when we can point to it and say "this is what's happening" - we take away the cover. We make it harder for organizations to hide behind aesthetic changes while refusing structural ones.
Real inclusion is possible. It requires honesty, discomfort, resources, and power-sharing. It requires the dominant culture to give up centrality and make actual room for other voices, traditions, identities, and needs.
Anything less? That's varnish.
Your Inclusion Reality Check
If you're wondering about your own experience with inclusion varnishing - or if you're navigating spiritual spaces that claim inclusivity and feel exclusionary - you're not imagining it.
Real inclusion starts with understanding what inclusion actually looks like for YOU - not accepting varnish and calling it enough. 🌳