HARD COPY: Pride festivals across the United States are increasingly losing corporate sponsors. Some of the companies that are pulling out are citing concerns for their own economic viability, though many organizers are blaming the hostile political environment that the Trump administration has stoked via its anti-DEI initiatives. It’s worth noting that it is not only American pride celebrations that are being affected presently. Making matters even more difficult, some queer organizations are having to consider cutting ties with their sponsors themselves because of recent changes said companies are making to align with Trump’s executive orders, changes that chafe against the organizations’ own values. Corporate sponsorship and involvement in Pride gatherings has long been a point of contentious debate within queer communities. Both the presence of corporations and the police at Pride have been cited by many queer activists as counter-productive to the original political and revolutionary agendas of Pride. A march is not a parade. This heated distinction is not new, but what is newsworthy here is the lack of choice that many queer organizations are now facing as their sponsors continue to jump ship.
$upport for Pride is tanking
