Some Companies Plan To Reduce Pride Month Engagements, Cite 'Increasing Pressure Not To Engage And Speak Out On Issues' As Leading Factor

Some 39% of companies plan to reduce Pride Month engagements this year, a recent poll of more than 200 corporate executives conducted by Gravity Research found.

Despite Pride Month becoming a splashy marketing event for brands over the last decade, respondents say that the Trump administration's policies towards DEI have them rethinking their participation. 

Fear of reprisal is the driving factor behind reduced Pride Month engagement for 61% of executives. Pushback from conservative activists and other GOP policymakers are also major concerns for the companies, the survey found.

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"It's clear that the administration and their supporters are driving the change," Gravity Research President Luke Hartig told CNN. "Companies are under increasing pressure not to engage and speak out on issues."

The subdued approach to Pride Month is a part of a broader pivot in corporate America. CNN says that many businesses are now scrapping all kinds of programs designed to increase diversity in the workplace, thanks to pressure from the administration.

However, advocates for gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans say that companies that bend to the pressure and downplay support for LGBTQ+ customers and employees risk losing business, especially as a Gallup poll found that more Americans than ever before – 9.3% – identify as LGBTQ+. 

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"By weaponizing federal agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Justice Department to intimidate companies that support LGBTQ+ inclusion, this administration is creating an anti-business, anti-worker atmosphere," Eric Bloem, vice president of corporate citizenship at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, told CNN.

"Companies that show up only when it's convenient, or backtrack the moment there's political pressure, risk losing trust and credibility," he said.

The executives polled by Gravity Research seem to be aware of this. Sixty-five percent of respondents said that they were actively preparing for backlash over their decision to reduce involvement in Pride Month by crafting reactive communication strategies and training HR teams to manage internal sentiment.

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A quieter approach to Pride Month marketing doesn't necessarily mean that companies are backpedaling on support for their LGBTQ+ customers and employees. 

"I do see there's pivoting happening (for Pride Month). What I don't see is corporates walking away from the LGBTQ community," the president of advocacy group GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, told CNN. "They don't want to be caught in the crosshairs of this presidency, and they don't want to become the headline like Target or Bud Light."

Bud Light sales plummeted in 2023 after a partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. That same year, activists and customers attacked Target over its Pride merchandise. The backlash also led to a major drop in sales for the retailer.

Instead, "Companies are going deeper and wider, rather than supporting an event," Ellis said. "They're finding better ways to thread their work supporting the LGBTQ community into their organizations."

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