Despite furor, companies continue their Pride support

Many big companies, including Target and Bud Light’s parent, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them.

Target and Bud Light recently came under fire for their efforts to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community, only to come under more fire when they tried to backpedal.

But even as they battle the negative publicity, Target and Bud Light haven’t pulled away from this year’s Pride celebrations. Target is a platinum sponsor of NYC Pride, which requires a $175,000 donation. And Bud Light’s parent Anheuser-Busch is a sponsor of Pride celebrations in Chicago, San Francisco, Charlotte, N.C., and elsewhere.

InterPride, which represents more than 375 Pride organizations globally, said 40 percent have reported their sponsorship dollars are up 20 percent or more this year.

The buying power of the LGBTQ+ community is likely too big for companies to ignore. LGBT Capital, a UK-based investment company, estimates the United States has more than 17 million LGBTQ+ people with more than $1 trillion in spending power.

“For every one customer knocking the display over, there are 10 who love it, and they are going to vote with their feet,” said Allen Adamson, co-founder and managing partner of marketing firm Metaforce.

Despite the corporate support, there are clouds hovering over the rainbow.

A majority of negative social media posts about Pride this year are attacking companies for being “woke” and accusing them of sexualizing or grooming children, says RILA Global Consulting, which tracks more than 100 million websites and social media pages per day.

In May and June of 2022, there were fewer than 400 posts calling for Pride-related boycotts, RILA said. This year, in May alone there were more than 15,000.

The backlash comes amid a furious and fast-spreading debate over the rights of transgender people. At least 17 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, most since the start of this year.

That has left many companies feeling jittery. “I had a sponsor last night say their CEO is skittish about getting political,” said Fernando Lopez, executive director of San Diego Pride. “The fact that they’re even having that conversation is disheartening at best.”

“Companies may not be anti— LGBTQ, but they don’t want to be putting their employees in a potentially dangerous space,” Lopez said.

Suzanne Ford, the executive director of San Francisco Pride, said she understands that companies are facing difficult decisions but they also know that the LGBTQ+ community is watching very closely this year.

“In the end, human rights will win out,” Ford said. “And we’re going to remember: Did you shirk and disappear on us or did you step forward and say, ‘Even if it’s unpopular with a segment of the country, this is the right thing to do.’”