If you’ve noticed fewer rainbow logos decorating social media this month than in Junes past, you’re not imagining it: some corporations have rolled back their public support of Pride following President Donald Trump’s executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs within the government.
A Gravity Research poll of corporate executives reveals 39% of companies plan to decrease their engagement with Pride-related engagements, including leaders in the Fortune 500 and Global 1000. And Pride festivals are feeling the impact.
NYC Pride is facing a deficit of $750,000, roughly 25% of the event’s overall budget, according to Heritage of Pride, the nonprofit that runs the city’s Pride festivities. As a result, NYC Pride will have fewer floats, vendors, and performers, the organization said, and will not be able to provide its usual level of year-round programming and financial support to LGBTQIA+ nonprofits.
In recent years, it has become expected to see brand names spattered throughout Pride-related festivities: event stages boast corporate names, storefronts on parade routes are adorned with rainbows and employee resource groups — oftentimes but not always financially supported by their business — march with branded t-shirts behind corporate banners.
Critics have accused many of these companies of engaging in rainbow capitalism, or using Pride Month as a marketing strategy rather than actually supporting LGBTQ issues and causes, and have said that Pride has become more of a party than a protest.
When did Pride Month become so corporate? Businesses began using Pride as a marketing technique as early as the 1990s, but logos began multiplying at Pride festivals in the 2010s. Once the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry, corporate involvement in Pride reached an all-time high. Take a look back through the decades to see how brands have become a ubiquitous part of Pride Month.
