The moves come as President
San Francisco Pride, the nonprofit that produces one of the country’s largest and best-known LGBTQ+ celebrations, is facing a
Heritage of Pride, the umbrella organization behind NYC Pride and other LGBTQ+ events in
Meanwhile, Budweiser brewer
In response, many Pride organizations have canceled some dance parties, reduced the number of stages, hired less pricey headliners and no longer give volunteers free food or T-shirts.
But the core celebrations will go on. In
“If you come to Pride this year, that’s a revolutionary act,” said
Following media coverage of their retreat, some companies changed course but asked that their names not be affiliated with the events, the event organizers said.
Corporations rethink Prid
e sponsorships
San Francisco Pride earlier this year lost the support of five major corporate donors, including Comcast,
“With everything we’re facing from the Trump administration, to lose five of your partners within a couple of weeks, it felt like we were being abandoned,”
After the withdrawals drew attention, some corporations said they would donate but only anonymously,
NYC Pride spokesperson
Piedmont said NYC Pride has also received anonymous corporate funding and that he appreciates the unpublicized support.
“Writing a check to a nonprofit and supporting a nonprofit with no strings attached is stepping up to the plate,” Piedmont said.
Companies retreat from ‘brand activism’
The shift reflects how corporations are adjusting to a changing cultural landscape that began during the pandemic and accelerated with Trump's second term, experts said.
“Companies are resourceful, they are clever at identifying trends and studying their environment and their customers’ needs, but those needs change and corporations adjust,” said
Corporations' presence in rainbow-filled Pride parades, concerts and dance parties became more ubiquitous after the landmark 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, as companies splashed their names on parade floats, rainbow flags and bright plastic bracelets.
So-called brand activism reached its peak between 2016 to 2022, a period of social upheaval around the pandemic, police brutality and transgender rights, Grinstein said.
But research has since found a growing number of American consumers don't want companies taking positions on such topics, said
“There have always been people who said, ‘I don’t want my toothpaste to have an opinion, I just want to use my toothpaste,’ but the tide has shifted, and research shows there are more people that feel that way now," Kahn said.
Pride organizers keep their distance from some corporations
Meanwhile, Republican-led states have been passing legislation to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and LGBTQ+ rights, especially the ability of transgender young people to participate in sports or receive gender-affirming care.
Trump signed executive orders on his first day in office that rolled back protections for transgender people and terminated federal DEI programs.
Some companies followed suit by eliminating their DEI goals, prompting Pride organizations to sever ties.
Twin Cities Pride ended its relationship with Target over the
Target announced in May that sales fell more than expected in the first quarter due to customer boycotts, tariffs and other economic factors. The company now offers only some Pride products at a few stores and online.
Still,
"They drive sales growth for us,” he said.
Asking the community for financial support
First-time donations from individuals, foundations and local businesses have increased following corporate America's retreat.
In
In
“This isn’t the first year that there’s been an inflammatory climate around Pride,” said
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