logo
Equality Chamber partners with Achieve More, Equality Chamber Foundation for WorldPride, more

Equality Chamber partners with Achieve More, Equality Chamber Foundation for WorldPride, more

Yahoo20-02-2025

WASHINGTON () — With WorldPride 2025 on the horizon, several groups in the DMV have their sights set on what comes after the celebration of the LGBTQ+ community that takes place in D.C. from March 28 to June 8.
Among those groups are Achieve More LLC, Equality Chamber of Commerce (ECC), and Equality Chamber Foundation (ECF). Together, they are part of the initiative WorldPride DC 2025 and Beyond: Building a Safe and Equal Downtown DC for All.
Countdown to WorldPride: Music festival lineup announced
The combined effort is meant to engage businesses in the Downtown, Golden Triangle, and Dupont Circle Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) by providing resources, training, and technical support to increase LGBTQ+ inclusion, safety, and economic opportunities.
Achieve More, ECC, and ECF intend to 'create a welcoming and vibrant environment for all during WorldPride DC 2025 and beyond' through outreach, training, and a business accelerator.
'As we prepare for WorldPride DC 2025, we are committed to building a lasting legacy and fostering a business community that champions equality, safety, and accessibility for all,' said Patrick Algyer, Executive Director of Equality Chamber of Commerce and Equality Chamber Foundation.
New 'Pride Lives Here' LGBTQ+ vehicle tag arrives in DC
Businesses interested in getting invovled can email mariama@achievemorellc.com. People who would like to volunteer to be part of the Business Boosters squad can . Squad members help with outreach, raise awareness, and encourage businesses to participate in WorldPride DC 2025.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

DC tows dozens of unlicensed food trucks along National Mall
DC tows dozens of unlicensed food trucks along National Mall

Yahoo

time14 hours ago

  • Yahoo

DC tows dozens of unlicensed food trucks along National Mall

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Dozens of unlicensed food trucks near the National Mall were towed on Friday, as the city cracks down in an attempt to improve safety. One licensed food truck owner who works in downtown D.C. told DC News Now he's thrilled the city took this action, saying it's one he hasn't seen on this scale in his decade-plus of food truck ownership. In total, 32 unlicensed food trucks were towed. An additional 46 citations were issued, and five junk vehicles were removed. Complaint: Nonprofit calls for ethics investigation into DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, staff 'There were a lot of unlicensed food truck operators who were creating pollution, blocking walkways, endangering pedestrians and parking illegally, and really making it unsafe for our customers at the mall,' said Tiffany Crowe, the director of the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Crowe, who told DC News Now there are about 100-110 licensed food trucks in the National Mall area, said the crackdown will improve safety. In addition to the safety concerns for pedestrians, she also described how the license requirement includes a fire safety evaluation. 'Propane and open flames can be very dangerous for consumers, and we've seen that on the mall a few times where food trucks have caught fire,' she said. As far as prices, she noted that the mayor's office has pushed for a crackdown on requiring price transparency. Confusion, concern around Dupont Circle ahead of big WorldPride weekend Sam Wanis, who owns Mexicana Grill on Independence Ave., SW, described the crackdown. 'They just closed off the road and every food truck had an officer's car next to [it],' he said. Wanis said this will help his business and the others who follow the proper regulations. 'If you want to work in DC, you gotta have your license and you gotta get all your stuff together,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

In Trump's America, Pride marches are losing financial support
In Trump's America, Pride marches are losing financial support

Yahoo

time16 hours ago

  • Yahoo

In Trump's America, Pride marches are losing financial support

The organizer of this year's San Francisco Pride didn't expect rejection when she contacted sponsors, but amid US President Donald Trump's anti-diversity offensive, several longtime backers have withdrawn their support. "It was quite frightening," said Suzanne Ford, executive director of the California-based group which is among America's most influential gay rights organizations. "In about a week and a half period, several corporations came back and said 'We're not sponsoring this year,'" she told AFP. In total, Ford's group faced a $300,000 budget hole, with longstanding partnerships suddenly unwilling to fill it ahead of the late June festivities. "It's disheartening," Ford said. One of Pride's major partners, the brewer Anheuser-Busch, has withdrawn, according to the organization. The brewing company did not respond to requests from AFP. The lack of sponsorships is "newsworthy for sure," noted Eve Keller, co-president of the USA Prides network of nearly 200 march organizations nationwide. Several US companies have opted to stop financially supporting organized events, especially those in June, designated as LGBTQ Pride Month. Pride organizations are reluctant to call them out, however, for fear of cutting ties. "Some are still talking with us," Ford said. "We hope they return." In some cities where 2025 Pride marches have already occurred, groups proceeded with "tighter" budgets, according to Keller. "They just didn't have headliners (or) could not hire the biggest, best band," she added, although for her, the main focus in 2025 was to ensure the safety of participants. - 'Between the lines' - In San Francisco, the companies all pointed to "budgetary reasons" for scaling back their contributions, said Ford. But "I think you could read between the lines," she added. "No one wanted to be on record saying anything, you know, that would hurt them with the administration or with people that support the administration." Since returning to the White House in January, Republican billionaire Trump has led a crusade against programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Companies that implement such policies are threatened with prosecution, and several major brands, including Meta, Target and McDonald's, have either abolished their DEI programs or drastically reduced them. The so-called "anti-woke" pressure campaign comes as US capital Washington hosts WorldPride, a global event for LGBTQ rights, culminating in a major parade this weekend. June Crenshaw, one of the rally's organizers, estimates she suffered "about a 20, 25 percent reduction" in business partnership and support. "So we've had to look at other ways in which to finance programming, etc, really leaning on the community and individual donations," she said. WorldPride organizers also decided to turn away from their "long and strong partnership" with the Kennedy Center after President Trump seized the reins of Washington's renowned cultural institution, Crenshaw added. - 'Pinkwashing' - According to Bob Witeck, a communications consultant on LGBTQ topics for major brands, companies fear that taking part in these events could expose them to "visible risk" during a sensitive political period and "put themselves in harm's way needlessly." But several firms "are still engaged," he stressed, including "through the nonprofits they serve." San Francisco's Ford noted that "pinkwashing" -- the practice of superficially promoting LGBTQ rights -- is no longer fashionable. By contrast, companies are contacting her offering support "but not wanting any credit," Ford said. They "just want to do the right thing." eml-mlm

Corporations Are Pulling Financial Support From Pride — Even Beyond Trump's Reach
Corporations Are Pulling Financial Support From Pride — Even Beyond Trump's Reach

Yahoo

time16 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Corporations Are Pulling Financial Support From Pride — Even Beyond Trump's Reach

LGBTQ+ pride festivals around the country have lost millions of dollars in corporate sponsorships this year, as more companies fear being targeted by the Trump administration over their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Nearly a fourth of corporate donors to NYC Pride, including Mastercard, Citi, Pepsi, Nissan and PwC, pulled sponsorships totaling an estimated $750,000. At WorldPride, held this year in Washington, D.C., consulting giants Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte dropped their sponsorships and have lost nearly $260,000 in funding. Anheuser-Busch, the brewer for the brands Budweiser and Bud Light, withdrew sponsorship from pride events in San Francisco and Columbus, and in St. Louis where the company is headquartered. The sharp decline in corporate sponsorship for pride festivals this year comes as President Donald Trump has threatened anything related to DEI and associated with the LGBTQ+ community ― and corporations have retreated their support. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order declaring DEI initiatives 'illegal and immoral discrimination,' and announced the termination of all federal offices and grants related to DEI training. In a second order, Trump vowed to end the federal funding of 'gender ideology,' a right-wing term that is used to refer to the existence of transgender people and their rights. Over the last decade, corporate America began to increasingly support Pride festivals after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in 2015. Pride-themed and rainbow-colored products, from clothing to credit cards, had become so universal at retailers each June that some began to critique corporate support as 'rainbow capitalism.' Critics lamented that corporations only supported LGBTQ+ communities with big displays during Pride while being silent the rest of the year ― or in some cases donating millions to anti-LGBTQ politicians. Some have argued that corporate support was at odds with the liberatory origins of the festivities. 'The older generation was fighting for acceptance. They said, 'We want to be part of the whole, we don't want to be separated from everybody. We want to be part of the group,'' Tim Bennett, the former marketing director at Subaru told Marketplace in 2021. 'And Pride is, you know, more of a festival and a corporate party in some regards. It's no longer the kind of activism that it used to be.' The first Pride parade was held in 1970 in New York City, one year after trans and queer people spent several days protesting police harassment outside of the Stonewall Inn in what became known as the Stonewall Uprising. But now, as the Trump administration has launched a war against LGBTQ+ rights and DEI initiatives, we're seeing that corporate America is too scared to don a rainbow flag even outside of the country. Five prominent American companies ― Google, Home Depot, Nissan, Adidas and Clorox ― said they were suddenly pulling their financial support of Pride Toronto, Canada's largest pride festival. 'These are American companies and they are showing their true colors, Kojo Modest, the executive director of Pride Toronto told the Guardian. 'We thought they were with the community, but clearly, they're not.' The corporate exodus from Pride events follows a trend of companies shifting away from publicly supporting LGBTQ+ communities in recent years, as dozens of states have passed laws restricting trans people's rights to access medical care, play school sports, use bathrooms and participate in public life. In the past two years, right-wing social media influencers have targeted specific companies that have publicly supported LGBTQ+ communities. In 2023, conservatives pressured consumers to boycott Anheuser-Busch's beer, Bud Light, after Dylan Mulvaney, a trans TikTok personality, appeared in a short video promoting the beer. Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburnlater called for a Senate investigation into the company's partnership with Mulvaney, baselessly claiming that the company was marketing products to young audiences. That same year, conservatives also boycotted Target's line of Pride Month merchandise, and the company saw its first quarterly sales drop in six years. In the aftermath of the boycott, Target officials told investors that the company would have to 'adapt and learn.' Trump's open hostility toward the trans community coupled with his efforts to reduce government spending and implement tariffs have made this year's economic climate less than opportune for investors looking to support Pride events. The downward trend has even trickled down to local pride events that have already struggled to garner financial support. Last year, Stevie Miller helped start up the first pride event in West Plains, a deep red city in southern Missouri. With a shoestring budget, he and his co-organizers were able to host 900 people. Since then they have turned the festival into a nonprofit organization to support drag shows, educational panels and community events throughout the year. Miller said he tried to get in contact with various corporate sponsors without much luck, and said that the nonprofit is largely supported by LGBTQ+ organizations within Missouri and from funds raised through a drag and art show. 'There has been a level of difficulty due to hostility,' Miller said to HuffPost. 'There is a small town mentality that would rather we left than proudly celebrate here so many local businesses have been silent.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store