June 16, 2025 • 9 mins
With Pride 2025, officially underway, companies are withdrawing support from Pride events left and right in response to the administration's hostility to DEI and the LGBTQ+ community. This has reignited a long running conversation about corporate participation in Pride in the first place.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Smantha.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm one theme stuff I've never told you production of
iHeartRadio and welcome it to another Monday, Mini and Happy
Pride Be Pride. Yes as this comes out as we
(00:29):
record it. It is Pride Month twenty twenty five. Today
is June twelfth, twenty twenty five. And I put this
in here because this is one where I feel like
some things are going to happen in the next few
weeks around this conversation, and we'll see how it plays out.
(00:52):
But I just wanted to talk about a conversation I
have seen playing out online that didn't really supprise me,
but I was still like, oh, yeah, that makes sense.
That makes sense that we're having this conversation. So basically,
as part of Trump's anti DEI initiatives and growing anti
(01:18):
LGBTQ plus sentiments, a lot of big companies are pulling
their support from Pride. According to a Slate article by
Christina Kaderucci called the End of the Rainbow Quote. This year,
the exodus ramped up. In one survey of forty nine
executives at Fortune one thousand companies, nearly forty percent said
(01:42):
their businesses planned to dial back their engagement with Pride
month this year, either internally or externally. Only nine percent
said the same last year. It is a huge slump
and funding and frankly pretty disheartening. Pride organizations are reporting
a massive loss of funding in some places, up to
(02:03):
seventy to ninety percent for some smaller organizations. And this
includes posting any kind of support for Pride themed events,
selling Pride themed products, sponsoring Pride themed events. It also
involves tariffs and companies trying to shore up their business
(02:28):
in any way that they can against them, right or wrong.
So being like, well there are tarriffs, so no Pride
this year, that sort of thing. I mean, it's not surprising.
We always say companies are not allies. They go wherever
the politics and money tell them to go, largely, so
it's not a surprise it does suck. But also Pride
(02:52):
parades were never meant to be these places where companies
kind of infiltrated, especially when they're not true allies. They've
clearly demonstrated several times. This is not news. So some
people are sort of glad at this. That was not
(03:12):
a pun I meant to make, but this sort of like, yeah,
get out, we didn't want you here in the first place,
especially if you're not supporting us as a community in
any real way other than just kind of showing up
and taking up space from actual queer people. And the
(03:33):
people who are in that kind of feeling think they
are hoping that the parades and events become more local
and more actually pride based instead of this big corporate event.
And this is a long standing debate in the queer community.
We've talked about it before. As early as the nineteen seventies,
(03:56):
activists were trying to reclaim pride from businesses. Others think
that there is potential to make queer sponsorships with mainstream
brands and just in general feel more accepted. So, you know,
seeing these big companies at these events, some people argue
is pretty big. These big companies are paying for this
(04:21):
generally big party after all, and some people feel like
it's nice having this kind of mainstream support, even if
it's flimsy, or even being able to get pride themed
products in mainstream stores because some people don't have ready
access to those things. Depending on where they are, it
(04:43):
can feel like progress. It really isn't, and obviously it
can change at any moment. But there are a lot
of different viewpoints about this. Also, a lot of these
companies Pride initiatives are led by straight pa people, and
a lot of the participants on the floats of these
(05:04):
companies in Pride parades are straight, which takes away from
actual queer people. I mean, I'm not saying I personally
don't think, you know, having true allyship is bad, but
if it's like all straight people, that is a little right.
(05:25):
Some companies are still supporting Pride, but apparently don't want
their logo shown, which is not I don't okay. I mean,
I hope that means it's honest support, but it also
sounds like you just don't want the backlash of being
(05:48):
actually someone who cares about this, our company that cares
about this. So that's a conversation that's happening. And we have,
as I said, discussed before how antithetical this is to
the core of what Pride was historically, and how there
has been pushed back against it, especially as we've gotten
(06:11):
more like you know, I don't know, police involvement in
the parade or even military involvement in the parade. Some
organizations are rejecting any funding from any companies that they
themselves reject DEI funding, So some are doing it that way.
(06:33):
But this is complicated for a lot of reasons because
it is nice to get rid of corporate influence. I
spoke about my when I went to a Pride parade
in October, and it was so many companies that I
was like, I know for a fact, you actually really
don't support the LGBTQ plus community, and not only that,
(06:57):
you actively campaign against us. So it would be nice
to see less of that and get back to the
heart of what it was and what it was meant
to be. But also LGBTQ plus businesses that rely on
(07:18):
these companies are sounding the alarm, as we discussed in
our episode with Bridget about the Target boycott. So it's complicated.
I'm glad we're having the conversation, and I don't come
here with any answer because ultimately, in my ideal world,
the companies would just be good companies and support causes.
(07:44):
But they don't do that, and I know that they won't.
And let like they would support the cause and put
their logo on, but not take up the parade space,
you know what I mean, Like do more than Hey,
we checked off this box, right, So we're good, right,
But that is interesting that that is happening right now
(08:08):
because of all this backlash and DEI stuff. So I
want to see what happens with Pride this year with
that I haven't seen. I personally haven't been to any
events yet, so I can't speak to it, but I'll
report back right.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Well, people were confused because Georgia, We've talked about this
in Atlanta, the fact that a lot of the times
the big Pride event happens in October. Yeah for Atlanta,
so people are like, what's happening And you already talked
about that with some of the backlash and the reasoning
behind that. But yeah, I've already seen like in Florida
where they're trying to ban it, that people are like,
now we're going to do things, watch us. So it's
(08:46):
been nice to see that. That feels comforting, sad, but comforting.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yeah. I mean that's another aspect that we're not gonna
talk about today, but that is Yeah, that's another thing,
is just banning it all right and people being like, Nope,
we're gonna do it anyway. So listeners, please write in
what's your thoughts about this or if you're participating in
any of these events, how they look like, how you
(09:13):
dealt with this, Please let us know. You can email
us at Hello at stuff Whenever Told You dot com.
You can also find us on Blue Sky, at momsa podcast,
or on Instagram and TikTok as stuff When Never Told You.
We're also on YouTube. We have a tea public store,
and we have a book you can get wherever you
get your books. Thanks as always to our super producer restenid,
our executive producer and contributor Joey, Thank you and thanks
(09:35):
to you for listening Stuff Never Told You disrection of
I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
you can check out the Heart Radio at Apple podcast
wherever you listen to your favorite shows,
Hey, this is Annie and Smantha.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm one theme stuff I've never told you production of
iHeartRadio and welcome it to another Monday, Mini and Happy
Pride Be Pride. Yes as this comes out as we
(00:29):
record it. It is Pride Month twenty twenty five. Today
is June twelfth, twenty twenty five. And I put this
in here because this is one where I feel like
some things are going to happen in the next few
weeks around this conversation, and we'll see how it plays out.
(00:52):
But I just wanted to talk about a conversation I
have seen playing out online that didn't really supprise me,
but I was still like, oh, yeah, that makes sense.
That makes sense that we're having this conversation. So basically,
as part of Trump's anti DEI initiatives and growing anti
(01:18):
LGBTQ plus sentiments, a lot of big companies are pulling
their support from Pride. According to a Slate article by
Christina Kaderucci called the End of the Rainbow Quote. This year,
the exodus ramped up. In one survey of forty nine
executives at Fortune one thousand companies, nearly forty percent said
(01:42):
their businesses planned to dial back their engagement with Pride
month this year, either internally or externally. Only nine percent
said the same last year. It is a huge slump
and funding and frankly pretty disheartening. Pride organizations are reporting
a massive loss of funding in some places, up to
(02:03):
seventy to ninety percent for some smaller organizations. And this
includes posting any kind of support for Pride themed events,
selling Pride themed products, sponsoring Pride themed events. It also
involves tariffs and companies trying to shore up their business
(02:28):
in any way that they can against them, right or wrong.
So being like, well there are tarriffs, so no Pride
this year, that sort of thing. I mean, it's not surprising.
We always say companies are not allies. They go wherever
the politics and money tell them to go, largely, so
it's not a surprise it does suck. But also Pride
(02:52):
parades were never meant to be these places where companies
kind of infiltrated, especially when they're not true allies. They've
clearly demonstrated several times. This is not news. So some
people are sort of glad at this. That was not
(03:12):
a pun I meant to make, but this sort of like, yeah,
get out, we didn't want you here in the first place,
especially if you're not supporting us as a community in
any real way other than just kind of showing up
and taking up space from actual queer people. And the
(03:33):
people who are in that kind of feeling think they
are hoping that the parades and events become more local
and more actually pride based instead of this big corporate event.
And this is a long standing debate in the queer community.
We've talked about it before. As early as the nineteen seventies,
(03:56):
activists were trying to reclaim pride from businesses. Others think
that there is potential to make queer sponsorships with mainstream
brands and just in general feel more accepted. So, you know,
seeing these big companies at these events, some people argue
is pretty big. These big companies are paying for this
(04:21):
generally big party after all, and some people feel like
it's nice having this kind of mainstream support, even if
it's flimsy, or even being able to get pride themed
products in mainstream stores because some people don't have ready
access to those things. Depending on where they are, it
(04:43):
can feel like progress. It really isn't, and obviously it
can change at any moment. But there are a lot
of different viewpoints about this. Also, a lot of these
companies Pride initiatives are led by straight pa people, and
a lot of the participants on the floats of these
(05:04):
companies in Pride parades are straight, which takes away from
actual queer people. I mean, I'm not saying I personally
don't think, you know, having true allyship is bad, but
if it's like all straight people, that is a little right.
(05:25):
Some companies are still supporting Pride, but apparently don't want
their logo shown, which is not I don't okay. I mean,
I hope that means it's honest support, but it also
sounds like you just don't want the backlash of being
(05:48):
actually someone who cares about this, our company that cares
about this. So that's a conversation that's happening. And we have,
as I said, discussed before how antithetical this is to
the core of what Pride was historically, and how there
has been pushed back against it, especially as we've gotten
(06:11):
more like you know, I don't know, police involvement in
the parade or even military involvement in the parade. Some
organizations are rejecting any funding from any companies that they
themselves reject DEI funding, So some are doing it that way.
(06:33):
But this is complicated for a lot of reasons because
it is nice to get rid of corporate influence. I
spoke about my when I went to a Pride parade
in October, and it was so many companies that I
was like, I know for a fact, you actually really
don't support the LGBTQ plus community, and not only that,
(06:57):
you actively campaign against us. So it would be nice
to see less of that and get back to the
heart of what it was and what it was meant
to be. But also LGBTQ plus businesses that rely on
(07:18):
these companies are sounding the alarm, as we discussed in
our episode with Bridget about the Target boycott. So it's complicated.
I'm glad we're having the conversation, and I don't come
here with any answer because ultimately, in my ideal world,
the companies would just be good companies and support causes.
(07:44):
But they don't do that, and I know that they won't.
And let like they would support the cause and put
their logo on, but not take up the parade space,
you know what I mean, Like do more than Hey,
we checked off this box, right, So we're good, right,
But that is interesting that that is happening right now
(08:08):
because of all this backlash and DEI stuff. So I
want to see what happens with Pride this year with
that I haven't seen. I personally haven't been to any
events yet, so I can't speak to it, but I'll
report back right.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Well, people were confused because Georgia, We've talked about this
in Atlanta, the fact that a lot of the times
the big Pride event happens in October. Yeah for Atlanta,
so people are like, what's happening And you already talked
about that with some of the backlash and the reasoning
behind that. But yeah, I've already seen like in Florida
where they're trying to ban it, that people are like,
now we're going to do things, watch us. So it's
(08:46):
been nice to see that. That feels comforting, sad, but comforting.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yeah. I mean that's another aspect that we're not gonna
talk about today, but that is Yeah, that's another thing,
is just banning it all right and people being like, Nope,
we're gonna do it anyway. So listeners, please write in
what's your thoughts about this or if you're participating in
any of these events, how they look like, how you
(09:13):
dealt with this, Please let us know. You can email
us at Hello at stuff Whenever Told You dot com.
You can also find us on Blue Sky, at momsa podcast,
or on Instagram and TikTok as stuff When Never Told You.
We're also on YouTube. We have a tea public store,
and we have a book you can get wherever you
get your books. Thanks as always to our super producer restenid,
our executive producer and contributor Joey, Thank you and thanks
(09:35):
to you for listening Stuff Never Told You disrection of
I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
you can check out the Heart Radio at Apple podcast
wherever you listen to your favorite shows,
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