{"id":160382,"date":"2025-03-28T05:40:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T13:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=160382"},"modified":"2025-03-28T05:40:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T13:40:42","slug":"nyt-companies-pull-back-from-pride-events-as-trump-targets-d-e-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=160382","title":{"rendered":"NYT: ‘Companies Pull Back From Pride Events as Trump Targets D.E.I.’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Times reports<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\nPride organizers say major longtime backers are reducing their support as corporate America retreats from diversity initiatives under President Trump.<\/p>\n

When it came time to plan San Francisco Pride this year, Suzanne Ford, the organization\u2019s executive director, reached out to some longtime corporate sponsors to ask how they planned to support the event.<\/p>\n

Their abrupt responses stunned her: Not at all.<\/p>\n

Several of the event\u2019s largest sponsors \u2014 including Comcast, Anheuser-Busch and the beverage company Diageo \u2014 told Ms. Ford that they would not be providing funding this year. The companies, which together provided over $200,000 to San Francisco Pride in 2024, each told her that supporting the event was no longer in its budget, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was totally shocking,\u201d Ms. Ford said, adding that some of the companies had supported San Francisco Pride for decades. \u201cIt was like somebody in your family just all of a sudden saying, \u2018We don\u2019t want to be involved with you anymore.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

With only weeks left to lock in sponsors for the summertime events, Pride organizers across the United States say that many longtime corporate sponsors are suddenly being evasive about their financial commitments or abandoning their support entirely. While some companies cited tight budgets or economic uncertainty, Pride organizers see another factor: President Trump\u2019s widening crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion, which has prompted corporate America to retreat from such initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of fear of repercussions for aligning with our festival,\u201d said Wes Shaver, the president of Milwaukee Pride. Many corporations he has spoken to are worried that the Trump administration will classify funding Pride events \u2014 one of the signature L.G.B.T.Q. festivals on the calendar \u2014 as a diversity, equity and inclusion effort, and that they\u2019ll be punished or penalized. \u201cEveryone\u2019s afraid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Comcast and the auto dealership group Darcars have dropped their sponsorship of WorldPride, to be held in Washington, D.C., organizers said.<\/p>\n

Andi Otto, the executive director of Twin Cities Pride, said that some longtime sponsors were leaving his calls and emails unanswered, and that his organization was about $200,000 behind its funding goal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Times reports: Pride organizers say major longtime backers are reducing their support as corporate America retreats from diversity initiatives under President Trump. When it came time to plan San Francisco Pride this year, Suzanne Ford, the organization\u2019s … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29733,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diversity","category-homophobia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t