Big brands distance themselves from Pride events amid DEI rollback
Marty Zuniga, who helps organize PrideFest in St. Louis — one of the Midwest's biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations — could tell by January that this season would be unlike any he's seen.
That's when Zuniga noticed that corporate contacts weren't answering his emails. In the weeks that followed, longtime partners like Anheuser-Busch declined to sponsor this year's two-day festival while others slashed donations, leaving him with a massive gap in his budget. Meanwhile, he told The Washington Post, several companies willing to commit financially also asked him to keep their names out of it.
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Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Marysville, Westerville LGBTQ+ groups rally Pride funds as businesses pull support
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Marysville and Westerville LGBTQ+ groups said some businesses have shied away from sponsoring this year's Pride festivals, while others have stepped up to fill the financial gap. The Union County Rainbow Coalition, host of Marysville's Pride Fest, said it has encountered funding challenges as the coalition has spoken out against anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. That advocacy has yielded a drop in support from some local companies, according to organizers Christian Downey-Thompson and Betty Elswick. List: 2025 Pride Month events, festivals in central Ohio 'They've shied away because they're more performative,' Downey-Thompson said. 'They are all about throwing a party, but don't want to do any of the advocacy work that our group does to support the marginalized communities in Marysville. You can't just slap a rainbow on it and call it allyship; you actually have to do the hard work.' Issues have been ongoing since 2023, when a group named the Union County Faith Family Coalition began targeting drag performances and businesses hosting Pride events, like Walking Distance Brewing. The brewery permanently closed in February and hosted Pride events that were meant to further inclusion for Marysville's LGBTQ+ community. Members of the Faith Family Coalition began taking to social media during the summer of 2023 to denounce the brewery's drag queen shows, hurling unfounded accusations of pedophilia and grooming. Consequently, some local sponsors withdrew their support when the Rainbow Coalition spoke out in defense of Walking Distance and other LGBTQ-affirming businesses. 'We were told that they didn't want us speaking up against that, they wanted us to be quiet, and they wanted us to continue to have fun,' Elswick said. 'Well, we tried to tell them that this is not how this works. It was a really hard conversation for them and some of them were unwilling to have the conversation.' Out in Ohio: Stonewall Columbus gets ready for Pride 2025 Still, the Rainbow Coalition forged ahead with Marysville Pride Fest, taking place June 14 from 3 to 9 p.m. in Partners Park with vendors, nonprofits, animal sanctuaries, live bands and a comedian. The celebration is in part made possible by several Marysville families who stepped up to replace those local businesses with even larger donations. The coalition was also the recipient of prize money from Folx Health, an online healthcare provider for LGBTQ+ people. 'We've got more genuine giving, people are giving because of us standing up, which has been really nice,' Elswick said. 'It's kind of changed the tone of everything. It's been a positive thing on that front, is that people are giving because they want to do the work. They want us to continue our work and it's a little bit more genuine.' The Westerville Queer Collective, the group behind Westerville's Pride Festival, has also been the beneficiary of more intentional donating, according to organizer Lee Bradford. Bradford said this June's festival has about the same number of sponsors as last year, even though the collective has needed 'to do a little bit of extra campaigning' in the wake of President Donald Trump's reelection and anti-LGBTQ+ proposals at the Ohio Statehouse. 'As much as I kind of look out into the wider world of hatred and bigotry, I feel like there's a comforting amount of support here,' Bradford said. 'We've been doing a little bit more about reaching out to local businesses and trying to find support those ways.' The collective grew out of an effort in 2021 to fly a Pride flag outside City Hall, and is hosting Westerville's fifth annual festival from 5 to 8 p.m. on June 7 at the parking lot in front of Birdie Books, a LGBTQ-owned bookstore and longtime supporter of the collective. Bradford said the group has 'become a much larger part of the fabric of Westerville' throughout the past years and has garnered community support. Earlier this year, Westerville became the 13th Ohio city to ban healthcare professionals in the city from engaging in anti-LGBTQ+ practices known as 'conversion therapy' with minors. The practices falsely claim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, and have been discredited by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and more. Bradford said this year's Westerville Pride features more vendors, food trucks and an increased focused on resources from organizations. NV Gay, a nonbinary photographer known for 'This is Trans,' a gallery showcasing diverse identities within the trans community, will also be at the festival to sign their recent book, 'The Queer Allies Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Being an Empowering LGBTQIA+ Ally.' Ohio lawmakers call for 2026 ballot measure to overturn same-sex marriage ban 'I think the support here is actually way bigger this year than it was last year, everybody's been coming out and saying they're excited for it,' Bradford said. 'It's hard, but pulling it off and watching something that you worked so hard for come into fruition, and you see a big celebration in the middle of town, it's so, so worth it.' Marysville and Westerville are two of several central Ohio suburbs whose LGBTQ+ organizations have struggled organizing events while fending off anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Delaware Ohio Pride, the organizers behind the city of Delaware's Pride festival, told NBC4 in March that some local entrepreneurs who previously backed the organization have cut off support and no longer offer their businesses as event space since Trump's reelection. The Fairfield County Rainbow Alliance faced targeting last September when a group called the Fairfield County Conservatives spoke out in protest of a LGBTQ+ event hosted in downtown Lancaster. The debate culminated in a city council meeting where the conservative group argued the event featured an 'obscene' drag show, but the city's top prosecutor said the performance was legally permissible and protected by the First Amendment. LGBTQ+ business owners in Lancaster said they saw a boost in sales when their shops were named to a list shared on social media by members of the conservative group. The entrepreneurs said the reverse happened when the group posted the list as part of an alleged boycott against businesses that support the LGBTQ+ community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
21 hours ago
- Axios
Cleveland Pride festival to take place amid Trump's DEI repeal
Pride in the CLE will look to build on a record-breaking 2024 when the annual festival returns Saturday. Why it matters: The event comes as the Trump administration repeals diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, which has contributed to an increasingly hostile climate for LGBTQ+ communities around the country. State of play: Pride in the CLE kicks off at 11am with a parade downtown, followed immediately by a festival featuring food trucks, music and more on Malls B and C. The festival is free and open to all. Last year's festival drew a record of more than 25,000 people, up nearly 35% from 2023, according to the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. The big picture: LGBTQ+ communities are dealing with the ripple effects of state and federal Republicans rolling back gains made in recent years. This week, the White House announced it will not make a Pride Month proclamation for June, a reversal from the yearly proclamations and celebrations under former President Biden. Between the lines: Meanwhile, some national companies have pulled back support for Pride events. Anheuser-Busch, Nissan, Lowe's and Walmart pulled sponsorship of Columbus Pride, while other corporations ended support in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and elsewhere. Zoom in: Cleveland's LGBT Community Center would not comment to Axios on the state of its sponsorships, but does list nearly 70 corporate "Partners" for this year's event. Packages can range from as little as $250 for smaller community partners to $30,000 for a presenting sponsor, according to the festival's 2024 Partnership Guide. Yes, but: One 2024 partner noticeably absent this year is Target, which pulled back on some of its DEI efforts earlier this year.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Michelle Obama releasing style book after looks 'constantly dissected' in White House
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is releasing a book looking back at her favorite fashion and style moments over the years. Obama said she wanted to write the beauty book, titled "The Look," to "reclaim" her story after her looks were scrutinized during her time in the White House. "During our family's time in the White House, the way I looked was constantly being dissected — what I wore, how my hair was styled," she wrote in an Instagram announcement. "For a while now, I've been wanting to reclaim more of that story, to share it in my own way. I'm thankful to be at a stage in life where I feel comfortable expressing myself freely — wearing what I love and doing what feels true to me. And I'm excited to share some of what I've learned along the way," she added. Michelle Obama Reveals Additional Reason She Skipped Trump's Inauguration The $50 book, to be released on November 4, features more than 200 photographs of the former first lady, including never-before-published images, according to publisher Crown Publishing Group. Read On The Fox News App Obama said the book will give readers a behind-the-scenes look at her most memorable looks and the meaningful moments that accompanied them. It will also introduce readers to her style team from over the years. "The Look is about more than fashion. It's about confidence. It's about identity. It's about the power of authenticity," Obama said in her social media announcement. "My hope is that this book sparks conversation and reflection about the ways we see ourselves — and the way our society defines beauty." Obama has spoken out before about her style being scrutinized during her time in the White House. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture During the book tour for her 2022 book, "The Light We Carry," Obama revealed that she straightened her hair while her husband Barack Obama was in office because she didn't feel Americans were ready to accept her natural hair. The American people were "just getting adjusted" to having a Black president and weren't "ready" to see the first lady's hair in braids, she believed, according to a report in The Washington Post. "Let me keep my hair straight," Obama said of her thoughts at the time. "Let's get healthcare passed." Michelle Obama Slams Divorce Rumors During Podcast Interview In April, Obama revealed that fashion was one reason she skipped President Donald Trump's second inauguration. "It started with not having anything to wear," Obama said on her podcast, "IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson." "I mean, I had affirmatively, cause I'm always prepared for any funeral, anything," Obama added. "I walk around with the right dress, I travel with clothes just in case something pops off. So I was like, if I'm not going to do this thing, I got to tell my team, I don't even want to have a dress ready, right? Because it's so easy to just say, let me do the right thing." Fox News' Rachel del Guidice contributed to this article source: Michelle Obama releasing style book after looks 'constantly dissected' in White House
