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The companies standing up to Trump on DEI<\/p>\n
Corporations like Costco and Levi’s are rejecting the White House’s position on diversity, equity and inclusion.<\/p>\n
Every June, national brands celebrate Pride Month<\/a> with colorful displays of solidarity.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year, expect fewer rainbow logos and less corporate revelry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite a long track record of supporting the nation\u2019s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer population, corporations are shrinking budgets and downplaying Pride marketing as President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down<\/a> on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender rights<\/a> emerges as a culture-war flashpoint<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNormally this time of year, our company and others are always working on Pride campaigns. Last year there was almost nothing. This year is the same,\u201d said Matt Skallerud, president of Pink Media, which helps brands reach the LGBTQ+ demographic. \u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a ghost town when it comes to Pride promotions at the start of June.\u201d<\/p>\n About 2 in 5 corporations are decreasing recognition of Pride Month<\/a> as executives bow to pressure from the Trump administration, according to Gravity Research, which advises companies on social, political and reputational risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Large corporate donors and sponsors are also pulling their support of Pride parades<\/a> across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n One financial executive told Gravity Research part of the backtracking strategy involves being less visible on social media \u201cto help minimize public visibility that could trigger attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The attention they want to avoid? The \u201cgo woke go broke\u201d backlash against Target and Bud Light<\/a> as well as scrutiny from anti-trans activists such as Robby Starbuck, who has pressured top companies to roll back their LGBTQ+ and DEI commitments<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Staying off the Trump’s administration’s radar is another high priority. The White House, which has reversed initiatives supporting LGBTQ+ people, particularly those who are transgender, has shown a willingness to hammer corporations<\/a> that antagonize it.<\/p>\n \u201cBusinesses are afraid to go against this current administration in any way,\u201d said Eve Keller, co-president of United States Association of Prides, a nonprofit that supports nationwide Pride celebrations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pride parades hit by defections\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Pride, one of the world\u2019s largest LGBTQ+ parades, lost sponsorships from Comcast and alcoholic beverage companies Anheuser-Busch and Diageo.\u00a0<\/p>\n PepsiCo, Nissan and Citi are not returning to sponsor NYC Pride this year. Media director Chris Piedmont told USA TODAY on May 5 that one-third of its partners have scaled back, pulled funding or not yet finalized agreements.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Nissan, which is not sponsoring Pride parade activities this year, said in an emailed statement that it is reviewing \u201call marketing and sales spending\u201d to \u201cmaximize both efficiency and breakthrough effectiveness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Citi in an emailed statement said its Pride employee resource group is \u201cexcited about sponsoring a range of Pride Month celebrations and participating in local parades around the globe.\u201d Citi plans to march in NYC Pride and sponsor and march in at least 30 pride events globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n Comcast, Anheuser-Busch, Diageo and PepsiCo did not return requests for comment from USA TODAY.\u00a0<\/p>\n A much larger share of federal contractors \u2013 57% \u2013 plan to dial back external engagement out of fear of federal investigations, Gravity Research found. Defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, which shuttered its DEI<\/a> department, dropped sponsorship of Washington, D.C.\u2019s WorldPride 2025, for example.<\/p>\n Some organizations still supporting Pride do not want their logo visible at events, according to Keller.<\/p>\n National brands feel boxed in by the political climate and the nation\u2019s growing polarization, said Bob Witeck, president of Witeck Communications, which specializes in LGBTQ+ marketing.<\/p>\n Sixty-five percent of executives surveyed by Gravity Research said they were bracing for Pride-related backlash.<\/p>\n \u201cSome companies have anxiety about loss of federal contracts regulatory or governmental blowback if challenged on their DEI expression,\u201d Witeck said. \u201cMany also are honestly confused about what forms this expression can take and whether Pride puts a target on them.\u201d<\/p>\n GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said tariffs and other economic challenges have driven the recent pullbacks and emphasized that most companies are not scaling back this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs companies are getting squeezed, they\u2019re squeezing all the other places where they market,\u201d Ellis said.<\/p>\n Rise and fall of \u2018rainbow capitalism?’\u00a0<\/p>\n Observed every year in June, Pride Month commemorates the 1969 riots following a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over time, activism, from protests to boycotts, helped turn corporations into important allies in the global fight for gay rights<\/a>, promoting\u00a0LGBTQ+ equality internally with inclusive policies and publicly supporting\u00a0same-sex marriage and opposing transgender bathroom laws.<\/p>\n Along the way, Pride Month became a magnet for \u201crainbow capitalism\u201d \u2013 opportunities for corporations to run major promotions signaling support for LGBTQ+ people in a bid to win their wallets.<\/p>\n These shoppers represent a massive customer base: $1.4 trillion in annual purchasing power, according to a Merrill Lynch analysis<\/a> from 2023.<\/p>\n At the same time, that customer base is growing. Almost 1 in 10 adults in the United States identifies as LGBTQ+<\/a>, double the share since 2017, according to the most recent data from Gallup.\u00a0<\/p>\n The numbers are fastest-growing among young people. Nearly one-quarter of adults in Generation Z \u2013 ages 18 to 27 \u2013 identify as LGBTQ+, Gallup found.<\/p>\n Consumer research consistently reflects that many customers, especially majorities of young LGBTQ+ people, favor brands that stick up for their values, according to Witeck.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies that lead with their values, stay true to them, and are prepared to withstand unfair, uninvited and unwarranted assaults are still with us,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile the diverse LGBTQ+ communities truly feel risk and fear today, they are just as sensitive to the enduring bonds of friendship and visibility that allies show.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why, even as some corporations retreat, others are increasing their support, according to Keller.<\/p>\n \u201cThey understand that in about five years, we are going to be the most diverse nation on the planet. And everyone will know someone that is queer or nonbinary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n First Target, more boycotts to come?<\/p>\n Keller and her wife dropped Target and switched from Sam\u2019s Club to Costco after an 11-year membership due to DEI policy changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n In January Costco shareholders voted down<\/a> an investor proposal from a think tank that pushed management to investigate the business risks of its diversity initiatives.<\/p>\n More than 98% of shares were cast against the proposal. Costco chairman Hamilton \u201cTony\u201d James and other board members had urged shareholders to reject the proposal.<\/p>\n “We are absolutely making decisions based on those organizations that are not afraid to stand with us, to be visible with us, and that match our values,\u201d Keller said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Andi Otto\u2019s Minneapolis home has four Targets within a 10-minute drive. Despite the convenience, Otto puts his money toward companies that stick to their DEI commitments, like Costco.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI used to be in there three to four times a week, and I am not there,\u201d he said. \u201cI have chosen to spend my money at Costco. I\u2019m learning to buy in bulk for a family of four.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Otto is Minnesota\u2019s Twin Cities Pride executive director. Twin Cities Pride announced in January that it would drop Target\u2019s partnership after the Minneapolis retail chain rolled back DEI programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an emailed statement, Target said \u201cwe will continue to support local Pride events around the country, as we have for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n Target sales suffered<\/a> in 2023 when some LGBTQ+ shoppers turned away from the company over its removal of Pride items from some stores.\u00a0After a decadelong track record of featuring LGBTQ+ merchandise during Pride Month, Target said last year it would no longer sell its Pride Month collection<\/a> in all stores.<\/p>\n Faced with a $50,000 budget shortfall, Twin Cities Pride launched a fundraising campaign and raked in more than twice that. But it wasn\u2019t enough to make up for the pullback in sponsors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just over 50 sponsors have committed to this year\u2019s Pride event so far, down from a typical year\u2019s 75, and the organization is still down about $200,000 from last year, according to Otto.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe festival is still going to go on. The vendors are still going to be there and the people are still going to show up. But it puts huge constraints on what we can do throughout the year and how we can support the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The companies standing up to Trump on DEI Corporations like Costco and Levi’s are rejecting the White House’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83397,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[7476,7488,8522,8530,5483,32,7477,7489,920,40243,2406,21595,5905,40242,5763,40241,6496,6584,5775,5785,5179,6591,457,8528,40240,7475,8523,21587,4678,5776,1757,5181,49,978,659,7474,7487],"class_list":{"0":"post-83396","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-central","9":"tag-central-region","10":"tag-discrimination","11":"tag-discrimination-u0026-identity-relations","12":"tag-donald","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-east","15":"tag-east-region","16":"tag-events","17":"tag-events-u0026-listings","18":"tag-holidays","19":"tag-holidays-u0026-seasonal-events","20":"tag-identity","21":"tag-lgbtq-pride-month","22":"tag-lgbtq","23":"tag-listings","24":"tag-month","25":"tag-negative","26":"tag-network","27":"tag-network-trending","28":"tag-overall","29":"tag-overall-negative","30":"tag-people","31":"tag-people-u0026-society","32":"tag-pride","33":"tag-region","34":"tag-relations","35":"tag-seasonal","36":"tag-society","37":"tag-trending","38":"tag-trump","39":"tag-u0026","40":"tag-united-states","41":"tag-us","42":"tag-usa","43":"tag-west","44":"tag-west-region"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}