'Non-binary fish' and 'shop closure'
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.
A tour of Bristol Aquarium's non-binary fish, which it promoted as showcasing "the vibrant diversity" of marine life in June, which is Pride month, is spotlighted in the Spectator, albeit being criticised for comparing humans to fish.
Somerset Live is reminding people they have 10 weeks left to have their say on how the electoral map could be withdrawn for the 2027 local elections.
Another shop in a seaside town has closed, according to Burnham-on-Sea.com. Thyers Fishing Tackle shut its doors at the end of May after 26 years in Burnham.
A school in Cheltenham that offers dog grooming and animal care among its subjects has retained its "outstanding" Ofsted status, Gloucestershire Live reports. Pupils at Belmont School "love learning a breadth of subjects," inspectors said.
Builder turned home into 'junkyard', jury told
Cheese-rolling champion finally awarded missing prize
'Tidal wave' of kittens and film crew in town
First West has launched its electrified bus depot in Hengrove in Bristol, saying more buses are on the way.
Swindon Borough Council warns it has been hit by a scam. A fraudster posing as a member of its licencing team has been asking residents for money to renew applications.
Dinosaurs will be taking over Gloucester's Kings Square and the Cathedral Quarter this weekend. Dubbed the Dino-ROAR weekend, it has been organised by the Gloucester Business Improvement District.
Follow BBC West social channels in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
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Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Companies are dialing back their Pride Month celebrations — and angering both the left and the right
Corporate Pride is looking a little less proud this year. Companies seem to have followed a common Pride Month playbook for the past several years. The checklist included changing social media avatars to rainbow logos, sponsoring parade floats, making donations, or casting ads a little differently from the rest of the year. This June, corporate Pride seems quieter amid a combination of cultural and political pressure against DEI in general, and the LGBTQ+ community in particular. Brands have been dropping out of sponsoring Pride parades across the country, Pride merchandise collections are getting smaller, and Fortune 500 social-media avatars appear largely unchanged. More broadly, companies have pulled back on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, or at least calling them DEI. The shift has stirred up criticism from both liberals and conservatives. "We're sort of facing a tidal wave of backlash against something that many companies have said they support," Ike Silver, a marketing professor at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, told Business Insider. This has made Pride Month a bigger balancing act for companies this year, particularly those that have openly embraced it in the past. "There's a little bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of element to this," said Graham Nolan, a PR professional who cofounded Do the Werq, a platform for queer representation in the marketing industry. Brands face new backlash over their approaches to Pride Month Pride Month had evolved over the past decade into something that companies perhaps felt obligated to participate in at the risk of appearing out of step with societal norms, Silver said. "It's really more about jumping on the bandwagon," he said, "if you're not getting a boost from it, you might as well not court the backlash." But as reactions to Target — and more recently BarkBox — have shown, brands that have openly embraced Pride Month in prior years face considerable risk stepping back (or even appearing to pull back) from it. Target was one of the most prominent major consumer brands supporting LGBTQ+ Pride. Two years ago, it included Pride merchandise across its stores, but this year and last, it offered a smaller, gentler selection in about half of its locations. A company spokesperson said Target also sponsors local events. "We are absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone," the spokesperson said in a statement to BI. BarkBox found itself in hot water this month when an employee's internal communication suggested the company pull promotions for its Pride merch, comparing them to MAGA products. The leaked message sparked outrage and an apology from founder and CEO Matt Meeker, who said the company stands by its Pride products. Companies haven't had the best time sticking the landing with Pride Pride Month, Nolan said, became "more a checklist of corporate fears than it was a checklist of consumer desires." People never asked for brands to add rainbows to their logos, for example, Nolan said. Some companies have faced pressure from more left-wing groups that accused them of "rainbow washing," or capitalizing on LGBTQ+ people without providing a tangible benefit to the community. Pride Month became more of a minefield in the last two years as conservatives took aim at Bud Light's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and followed quickly by Target facing blowback for its 2023 Pride merchandise collection. While Bud Light and Target walked back their LGBTQ+ campaigns, the retreats didn't exactly earn them goodwill from either side of the political spectrum. The division between the sides has only grown more pitched under Donald Trump's second presidency. For brands, it can feel like consumers "who oppose the stance see any whiff of support as negative, and those that support the stance will only give you credit if they think that you're really in it," Silver said. "They won't sort of reward these soft steps." Nolan said crafting the right message is increasingly difficult, especially since the very act of speaking to one group can de-emphasize another. "When it's not perfect, what you get is conservatives who are angry about the fact that the work exists, and then you've got liberals who go, 'Yeah, this is a nice ad, but I know this about your hiring practices,'" he said. New risks change the calculus — and provide new opportunities Beyond the growing political polarization, the issue is further complicated for companies by the threat of government pressure. Trump has shown a willingness to go after companies because of their diversity policies. While taking a stand in the face of real risk can make a company's motives seem more sincere (think Costco or Ben & Jerry's founders, which have defended their stances on diversity), Silver said consumers don't typically punish companies that remain truly neutral. Whether they choose to publicly embrace Pride Month or not, Nolan hopes companies will strategize behind the scenes about strengthening their relationships with the LGBTQ+ community year-round. With shoppers weighing in on social media and scrutinizing companies' moves over the past months, it's clear that shifting positions in either direction can be risky. "When you flip-flop, you lose the people who supported you when you are taking a position," Silver said. "And you don't necessarily regain the people who are against your position."
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Corporations pull back on Pride sponsorships, leaving budget gaps for LGBTQ events
Corporate sponsorship for Pride events across the U.S. has dropped sharply, leaving major cities like San Francisco with six-figure budget gaps. Organizers are relying on local donors and community support as brands retreat from activism amid political and economic pressures. (AP Video: Haven Daley)
USA Today
16 hours ago
- USA Today
BarkBox employee compared Pride to MAGA in leaked memo. The CEO apologized.
BarkBox employee compared Pride to MAGA in leaked memo. The CEO apologized. "I do not agree with the content of the message," BarkBox founder and CEO Matt Meeker said. "It wasn't good, it doesn't reflect our values and I'm deeply sorry that it happened." Show Caption Hide Caption Organizers say political pressure is motivation to continue celebrating Pride Organizers say political pressure is motivation to continue organizing and celebrating Pride, although some corporate support dwindles. Less than a week into Pride Month, BarkBox is receiving backlash for a leaked memo that compares an LGBTQ+ themed pet collection to the Make America Great Again movement. Now the monthly dog subscription service's CEO is looking to make amends. The memo, shared to Reddit this week, informed a group of employees that the monthly dog subscription service would cease advertisements for its Pride collection, which includes several Pride and rainbow accessories. The memo was shared by one employee to a small group of others, BarkBox confirmed to USA TODAY. "While celebrating Pride is something we may value, we need to acknowledge that the current climate makes this promotion feel more like a political statement than a universally joyful moment for all dog people," the memo shared on Reddit reads. "If we wouldn't feel comfortable running a promotion centered around another politically charged symbol (like a MAGA-themed product), it's worth asking whether this is the right moment to run this particular campaign." BarkBox CEO: 'It wasn't good' In a social media statement shared on June 4, BarkBox founder and CEO Matt Meeker apologized for the leaked memo. "I do not agree with the content of the message," Meeker wrote. "It wasn't good, it doesn't reflect our values and I'm deeply sorry that it happened." As of June 6, BarkBox's Pride collection was promoted on the BarkBox website. Since the leaked memo, Meeker shared that 100% of the proceeds from the collection will be donated to the LGBTQ resource, Kaleidoscope Youth Center in Columbus, Ohio. DEI: What fueled the Target DEI boycott? The answer may surprise you Pride Month: What are the safest places for gay and trans people? See where your state ranks What else did the BarkBox memo say? "After some thoughtful discussion today with leadership, we've made the decision to pause all paid ads and lifecycle marketing pushes for the Pride kit effective immediately," the memo shared on Reddit begins. "This isn't about backing away from support − it's about tone and ensuring our marketing remains inclusive and welcoming to everyone in our community. Right now, pushing this promo risks unintentionally sending the message that 'we're not for you' to a large portion of our audience," the memo concludes. BarkBox did not confirm when the memo was sent, or by who. What is BarkBox's Pride collection? BarkBox's Pride collection features more than 25 LGBTQ+ themed toys, including a rainbow tug toy, "slay the drag queen" plush and "gaylien," an alien plushy with a T-shirt that reads, "Take me to your leather," a reference to the queer leather community. These items an be added to any BarkBox for an upcharge. A typical BarkBox, which is $24 a month, includes two toys and two treats each month. More Pride Month: Trump's actions on LGBTQ+ issues in Pride Month criticized as 'bullying' by advocates Memo leak follows other national brands moving away from DEI The memo follows a string of companies who have eradicated or pulled back on DEI − diversity, equity and inclusion − programs, including Target, Walmart, Amazon and McDonald's. The DEI rollbacks began after President Donald Trump took office. As soon as he could, the president issued executive orders to dismantle DEI by putting pressure on federal contractors to end "illegal DEI discrimination" and direct federal agencies to draw up lists of companies that should be investigated for their DEI policies. And while Trump has been successful in part during his first 100 days in office, there are still countless major companies publicly backing DEI, including Costco, American Express, Apple and Levi's. Contributing: Jessica Gunn, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
