Most Americans support corporate LGBTQ+ Pride efforts despite pull-back by major brands: report

Yahoo

23-05-2025

As some companies scale back their public LGBTQ+ engagement under political pressure, a new GLAAD-Ipsos survey released Thursday paints a far more supportive picture of American consumer sentiment. According to the data, 70 percent of Americans say that knowing a company offers LGBTQ+ Pride merchandise either positively affects or does not impact their purchasing decisions. An even greater share—71 percent—believe companies should be free to support Pride Month if they choose.
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'The big headline is that Americans think it's important to be inclusive, to include LGBTQ people, and to include all people,' GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis told The Advocate in an interview. 'When they see companies do that, they think they run a good company. They take care of their employees, and they take care of their consumers.'
According to Ellis, the findings challenge the portrayal that supporting Pride has become too risky for business. In recent months, several high-profile brands—including Target and Bud Light—have scaled back LGBTQ+ visibility in the face of organized right-wing backlash. PR Daily and Gravity Research report that 39 percent of Fortune 500 and Global 1000 executives say they plan to decrease Pride participation this year. Notably, none said they plan to increase it. Nearly 20 percent said they still hadn't decided, even with Pride just weeks away.
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In New York, the effect is already visible. This week, the New York Times reports that about 25 percent of corporate donors to New York City Pride have either canceled or scaled back their support, citing economic concerns and fear of retaliation from the Trump administration. That includes past top sponsors such as Mastercard, Target, Nissan, and Garnier. Now donating as a 'silent partner,' Target has opted out of public recognition. On its earnings call this week, Target reported a 3.7 percent drop in same-store sales and pointed to backlash over its retreat from diversity initiatives as one of the factors dragging down performance.
Despite those corporate anxieties, GLAAD's findings show that the public hasn't turned away. Among Black respondents, 64 percent said they are comfortable with brands publicly supporting LGBTQ+ organizations. That number was 55 percent among Hispanic respondents and 60 percent among Americans ages 18 to 34. GLAAD also found that 85 percent of Americans believe CEOs are responsible for speaking out on issues that matter, and 81 percent say freedom means all people should be able to live and express themselves as they choose, so long as they're not hurting others.
Tristan Marra, who leads research efforts at GLAAD, said that the organization's Accelerating Acceptance data reveals even deeper connections between personal relationships and public support. 'If someone were to tell a non-LGBTQ+ person that they were trans or nonbinary, more than 70 percent would support them,' Marra said. 'That's the power of knowing someone. And in terms of media, 78 percent of non-LGBTQ+ Americans say everyone deserves to feel represented in media, including movies and TV shows, and even gaming.' She stressed that the work ahead lies in ensuring those personal connections and representative stories reach the public, especially those in the 'movable middle.'
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Ellis underlined that corporate retreat is driven not by consumer sentiment but by political pressure, particularly from the Trump administration and its allies. 'There is intimidation happening by this administration,' she said. 'We're all tricking ourselves if we think that CEOs are not ultimately about their bottom line. But the smart ones understand how it's all intricately connected.'
The survey's release comes as brands navigate mounting scrutiny from conservative activists and LGBTQ+ advocates. Some companies have tried to split the difference, quietly maintaining internal Pride celebrations while stepping back from public-facing campaigns. But Ellis warned that approach often backfires. 'Target is trying to play the middle,' she said. 'They're trying to play both sides, and it's like—there aren't sides to this. There's only one way here, and that's to be inclusive.'
Ellis also pointed to the unique cultural and economic influence of LGBTQ+ Americans and their allies, especially among the fastest-growing consumer groups. 'Companies that bow to opponents of inclusion will miss out on key growth segments,' she said. That warning is backed by economic data cited in GLAAD's release: the purchasing power of LGBTQ+ consumers was estimated at 1.4 trillion dollars in 2022. The buying power of Black consumers is expected to reach 1.7 trillion dollars by 2030, and the Hispanic population has grown by 85 percent since 2000.
The research also emphasizes the importance of representation—especially for transgender people, who remain disproportionately targeted and misunderstood. Ellis noted that most Americans still say they don't personally know someone who is transgender. 'Until we get that number inverse from 70 percent of people saying they know someone who's trans, we're going to face all the problems we're facing—whether it's on the field, in the locker room, in school, in the boardroom,' she said. She pointed to the struggle for gay and lesbian people to be accepted through shows like Will & Grace in the early 2000s.
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GLAAD is responding by expanding its media strategy, monitoring podcasts and digital platforms for LGBTQ+ mentions, and proactively placing trans voices in those ecosystems. 'We were asleep on it all,' Ellis admitted of progressive activists in the 2024 election. 'On the influencer and podcast spaces, we just didn't see the value.' But now, she said, GLAAD is 'all over that,' guided by new research into media consumption habits and effective messaging to reach the movable middle.
Despite the challenges, Ellis remains optimistic. 'Pride is a celebration. It is joy, and that is resistance right now,' she said. 'It is also always a protest. I never know when we're not protesting and pushing the world to be a better place for everyone.'
She added that the fundamentals have not changed even in this polarized moment. 'We haven't lost Americans' [views] on our community. And they're the ones that always end up at the end having the last word.'