Funding for Pride events falls as corporations like Target pull support

SAN FRANCISCO AP A multitude of U S corporations this year stopped supporting Pride events that celebrate LGBTQ lifestyle and rights causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in budget shortfalls ahead of the summer festivities and raising questions about corporate America s commitment to the cause The moves come as President Donald Trump has shown antipathy for trans protections and has attempted to roll back various LGBTQ friendly federal policies Experts also note that a growing slice of the residents has grown tired of companies taking a stance on social and political issues San Francisco Pride the nonprofit that produces one of the country s largest and best-known LGBTQ celebrations is facing a budget gap after corporate donors dropped out In Kansas City Missouri KC Pride lost about roughly half its annual budget Heritage of Pride the umbrella organization behind NYC Pride and other LGBTQ events in New York City is fundraising to narrow a budget gap after companies withdrew The Heritage of Pride group carry banners and balloons during the New York City Pride Parade on June in New York Credit AP Photo Michael Noble Jr Meanwhile Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch ended its sponsorship of PrideFest in St Louis Missouri its home base after years leaving organizers with a budget shortfall In response several Pride organizations have canceled various dance parties reduced the number of stages hired less pricey headliners and no longer give assistants free food or T-shirts But the core celebrations will go on In San Francisco this year s Pride theme is Queer Pleasure is Resistance In New York it s Rise Up Pride in Protest and in Boston it s Here to Stay If you come to Pride this year that s a revolutionary act commented Suzanne Ford executive director of San Francisco Pride You are sending a message to those in Washington that here in San Francisco we still have the same values that we ve consistently had you can love who you love here We re not going to retreat from that Following media coverage of their retreat selected companies changed program but demanded that their names not be affiliated with the events the event organizers reported Corporations rethink Pride sponsorships San Francisco Pride earlier this year lost the endorsement of five major corporate donors including Comcast Anheuser-Busch and Diageo the beverage giant that makes Guinness beer and Smirnoff vodka 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 Ford stated After the withdrawals drew attention selected corporations commented they would donate but only anonymously Ford disclosed declining to identify those companies As of this week neither Comcast Anheuser-Busch nor Diageo appeared on the organization s website as sponsors of the June festivities It was unclear if they donated Anheuser-Busch and Diageo didn t reply to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment A spokesperson for Comcast also declined to comment but reported certain of its companies are sponsoring Silicon Valley Pride and Oakland Pride Related Over the rainbow queer and trans history in Minnesota NYC Pride spokesperson Chris Piedmont reported about of its corporate sponsors either dropped their advocacy or scaled back including New York-based PepsiCo and Nissan Kyle Bazemore Nissan North America s director of corporate communications revealed the decision comes as the automaker reviews all of its marketing expenses to lower costs PepsiCo did not return an email seeking comment Piedmont declared NYC Pride has also received anonymous corporate funding and that he appreciates the unpublicized aid Writing a check to a nonprofit and supporting a nonprofit with no strings attached is stepping up to the plate Piedmont disclosed 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 announced Companies are resourceful they are clever at identifying trends and studying their circumstances and their customers requirements but those necessities change and corporations adjust stated Amir Grinstein a marketing professor at Northeastern University Corporations presence in rainbow-filled Pride parades concerts and dance parties became more ubiquitous after the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide as companies splashed their names on parade floats rainbow flags and bright plastic bracelets Related It is still forward movement How a statewide survey is measuring societal progress for LGBTQ older adults So-called brand activism reached its peak between to a period of social upheaval around the pandemic police brutality and transgender rights Grinstein noted But research has since unveiled a growing number of American consumers don t want companies taking positions on such topics mentioned Barbara Kahn a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania s Wharton School There have consistently been people who stated 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 declared Pride organizers keep their distance from various corporations like Target Meanwhile Republican-led states have been passing act 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 Selected companies followed suit by eliminating their DEI goals prompting Pride organizations to sever ties San Francisco s organizers cut ties with Meta after the parent company of Facebook and Instagram terminated its DEI goals and content moderation policies Twin Cities Pride ended its relationship with Target over the Minneapolis-based retailer s curtailing of its DEI initiatives following a backlash from conservatives and the White House The company s retreat from DEI policies led to a counter-boycott by civil rights advocates Target disclosed 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 specific Pride products at a insufficient stores and online Still Rick Gomez Target s chief commercial officer described reporters in May that it s essential to celebrate Heritage Months which highlight different groups from Latinos to Asian Americans to the LGBTQ population They drive sales development for us he stated Asking the region for financial help First-time donations from individuals foundations and local businesses have increased following corporate America s retreat In Minneapolis a crowdfunding campaign by Twin Cities Pride to fill a funding gap raised more than In San Francisco two local foundations donated combined This isn t the first year that there s been an inflammatory conditions around Pride explained James Moran a spokesperson for KC Pride in Kansas City Missouri We know that our area is looking for spaces that are meant for us where we can celebrate but also process what s going on and build our own help networks Associated Press retail reporter Anne D Innocenzio in New York City contributed The post Funding for Pride events falls as corporations like Target pull sponsorship appeared first on MinnPost