In the current political landscape, instead of just enjoying Pride parades and chilling like during a reasonable administration, instead we have politics and the homophobic whining of fragile straight white men in comments sections on Facebook. Corporations sat in boardroom closets asking themselves whether to come out with their adorably designed-during-Biden rainbow-version logos for June again, or to heed to the MAGA-esque “go woke go broke” inaccurate trope.
Many companies had already caved under the “no more DEI” initiatives, so scrapping Pride was a natural, even as companies suffered from the decision: Target alone lost 12.4 billion dollars from a boycott. Slate reports that this year, “As companies pull their sponsorships from major metropolitan Prides in deference to the rising anti-LGBTQ+ movement, the time is ripe to reconsider what Pride has become and what we want it to be. If this year’s trend continues, Pride as we know it will drastically change. And that would be a good thing: Even if corporations come crawling back, big-city Pride organizers should rebuff them, in favor of the homegrown celebrations of LGBTQ+ culture and resistance we all deserve.”
Sports teams, too, have seen some reduced visibility, though 24 of the 32 NFL teams have posted Pride messages—in the past the NFL has posted for Pride late in the month; traditionally World Pride is celebrated on the last Sunday of the month. Only four teams—the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers—have changed their logos to mark Pride this June.
Some have remained silent, a departure from the broader participation seen in prior years. 29 of the 30 MLB teams are celebrating Pride this year. The Baltimore Orioles will continue their tradition of diversity, equity and inclusion by celebrating their 6th annual Pride Night this week on June 25, taking on the Texas Rangers, a perfectly timed game against the only team in the entire MLB that does not celebrate Pride.
According to Gravity Research, which advises companies on social and political risks, 39 percent of surveyed brand executives planned to reduce Pride-related engagement this year, with 61 percent citing the Trump administration as their reason. No respondent said they planned to increase it. NYC Pride faced a $750,000 decrease in sponsorships, San Francisco Pride a $200,000 decrease, with brands including Mastercard, Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo and Comcast withdrawing support. This corporate pullback comes precisely when LGBTQ+ representation and purchasing power are at historic highs. According to Gallup, 9.3 percent of US adults now identify as LGBTQ+—a number that has doubled since 2020 and reaches over 20 percent among Gen Z adults. According to GLAAD, 71 percent of Americans agree that brands should be able to show support for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month.
Christina Cauterucci of Slate writes:
“Some cities are already reimagining their fundraising models. Cincinnati Pride opted this year to forgo sponsorships from companies that canceled their DEI programs, making up the difference with a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign.
“The corporate exodus that has sent Pride organizers scrambling for alternative funding sources could be a blessing in disguise, paving the way for more meaningful celebrations. Instead of a four-hour parade for multinational companies, we could have a two-hour parade for community groups, queer businesses, and the local gay baton-twirling club. Instead of spending tens of thousands of Booz Allen Hamilton dollars to hire a heterosexual A-list musical performer for a generic outdoor concert, we could focus on local queer bands, comedians, and DJs. It’s time to take better advantage of untapped community spending power: I’d gladly pay $25 to enter a sliding-scale Pride festival if it meant others could attend for free, the drag artists got paid, and Raytheon got no advertising space.
“If I had to pinpoint the purpose of Pride, it would be not a specific event or political ambition but a feeling. You find it in those transcendent Pride moments when you’re surrounded by a mix of loved ones and strangers, sensing that everyone around you is linked by a mutual history, touching the possibility of a future that gives our freest, most joyous selves adequate space to grow… if you stripped away all the commercial elements of Pride, the parade and concert people would still be able to capture that feeling. A more modest, homespun celebration would give us everything we need without commodifying our movement for the benefit of fair-weather friends.”
—Follow Mary McCarthy on Bluesky and Instagram.
