Muted Retail Presence And Lack Of Corporate Sponsors Has Us Asking: Where’s The Pride?
As a result of the Trump administration’s ongoing assault on every non-white, non-heteronormative, gender non-conforming group, we’ve seen several corporations pull back from their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This pullback hasn’t just affected corporate programs, but has also seen several companies completely withdraw their financial sponsorship of LGBTQ+ Pride events.
Before we get into it, I have to wish a very happy Pride month to all my homies in the LGBTQ+ community. You’re loved. You’re valued. Don’t let these cowards dim your shine.
According to AP News, San Francisco Pride, one of the most widely known Pride events in the country, is facing a $200,000 budget shortfall after several corporate sponsors withdrew funding. San Francisco’s event isn’t the only one to face budget woes this year, as Kansas City, Missouri’s KC Pride is suffering from a similar $200,000 shortfall that represents half of its annual budget.
Heritage of Pride, the organization responsible for NYC Pride, is facing perhaps the largest shortfall after losing $750,000 in corporate sponsorship and is currently holding fundraisers to at least put a dent in that number.
Anheuser-Busch, which faced conservative backlash a few years back for having the audacity to cut a brand deal with a trans influencer, had sponsored PrideFest in St. Louis, Missouri, for over 30 years. It appears that the partnership has ended as the brewery has withdrawn its sponsorship, leaving the event $150,000 short of its projected budget.
30 years, y’all. They supported this event for 30 years. Well before it became popular or common to support the LGBTQ community. Yet now, when homophobia and transphobia are rearing their head once more, they pull back? I can’t call them what I want to due to editorial standards, so instead, I invite you to listen to track 13 of Dr. Dre’s 2001 album if you want a succinct yet thorough understanding of my personal feelings towards Anheuser-Busch.
Despite the withdrawal of support, many of these events still intend to go on as planned. While there may be fewer high-profile performers, and some amenities will have to be cut back, the playing in their faces by both the Trump administration and corporate America has imbued this year’s Pride events with a feeling of resistance.
“If you come to Pride this year, that’s a revolutionary act,” Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride, told AP. “You are sending a message to those in Washington that, here in San Francisco, we still have the same values that we’ve always had — you can love who you love here. We’re not going to retreat from that.”
That said, the political climate has created a sense of fear and anxiety among some queer people about going to pride this year. WorldPride, an event intended to spotlight LGBTQ+ issues on the international stage, is being held in Washington, D.C this year. Comments posted under a video on WorldPride’s TikTok convey a sense of unease with one user saying, “Being real… I’m not going this year. I’m scared,” with another saying, “I wanna go but I’m so so scared.”
The Trump administration hasn’t exactly been welcoming of WorldPride, as several performances and events originally scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Center related to the event were cancelled after Trump was named chairman of the venue.
Beyond the withdrawal of funds, several retailers have also had a more muted retail presence for their Pride events. Target, Kohl’s, the Gap, and Macy’s all made public pronouncements last year about in-store Pride collections and donations made to non-profits focused on LGBTQ+ issues. This year, it’s been complete silence, with Target only committed to limited Pride merchandise in select retail locations.
What makes this commitment to regressive moves all the more baffling is that they simply aren’t good business. Target, which was basically the Bravo of retailers in its appeal to Black and Queer consumers, has seen its sales plummet this year as a result of consumer boycotts related to its pullback from DEI initiatives and muted support of Pride. In fact, a recent poll shows that companies that withdraw from their DEI commitments have suffered reputational damage with consumers.
It’s clear that alienating key consumer groups (i.e., everyone not a straight white man) is not doing these corporations any favors. Yet they continue to bend the knee to the Cheeto-in-chief instead of doing what’s best for business.
SEE ALSO:
Anti-DEI Alabama Celebrates President Of The Confederacy’s Birthday