Latest news with #LGBTQ+PrideMonth
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Retired FBI Agent Supports End to Official Pride Celebrations at Agency
Retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer is all for the FBI telling their agents to lay off the Pride Month celebrations this year ... but she says it's not about the LGBTQ+ community. Catch the clip ... Jennifer tells us the reasoning behind the email sent out by a rep for the Federal Bureau of Investigations to all employees -- coming after the transition from the Biden to the Trump administrations -- was to put a stop to gathering during company hours and using FBI time and resources. Coffindaffer claims that so much money and energy go into banquets thrown for monthly events -- such as Pride Month, Women's History Month, and Black History Month -- putting an end to these events will allow FBI agents to focus on their core mission ... putting bad people in prison!!! Fox News Digital obtained the email that says FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson wrote, "I want to take the opportunity to make FBI leadership's expectations clear: There should be no official FBI actions, events, or messaging regarding Pride Month." June is officially recognized in the U.S. as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. President Trump nominated Kash Patel as his director of the FBI, but Thursday's email came from Williamson, who reportedly wrote employees can do whatever they want in a personal capacity on their own time ... but, they shouldn't be using Bureau resources to promote their events. Jennifer assures the LGBTQ+ community that this is not a targeted ban, and is intended to continue for all other monthly heritage celebrations.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
For Pride Month, homophobe Hegseth orders Navy to strip Harvey Milk's name from ship
The Department of Defense is observing LGBTQ+ Pride Month by stripping the name of gay rights leader Harvey Milk from a Navy ship. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the name change, reports. The timing during Pride Month is intentional, an official with the department told the outlet. The official announcement is set for June 13, but obtained a memo from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy that outlined plans to rename the ship. The Defense Department source said Hegseth instructed Navy Secretary John Phelan to implement the renaming in keeping with the restoration of so-called warrior culture. The USNS Harvey Milk was launched in November 2021, when Joe Biden was president. It was the first military ship named after an out gay person. It is a replenishment oiler, bringing fuel to other ships at sea. It was the second in a group of oilers named after civil rights icons, the first being the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. Milk's name was selected in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and the oiler was built by General Dynamics. The Navy is also recommending the renaming of other ships in this group, CBS News reports. They include USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez, and USNS Medgar Evers. Renaming of ships is rare, and the documents reviewed by the news outlets don't say what the new names will be. Milk, a gay man, was the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community to be elected to public office in California and one of the first in the nation. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 and had an extensive career in activism, including a successful fight against a California ballot measure that would have barred gays and lesbians from teaching in the state's public schools. He and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated in 1978 by a disgruntled former city supervisor, Dan White. Milk had joined the Navy in 1951 after graduating from college. He attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and later was a diving instructor in San Diego. In 1954, he was threatened with a court-martial for committing a 'homosexual act,' but he decided to resign rather than face trial. He received an 'other than honorable' discharge and left the Navy with the rank of lieutenant junior grade. In 2021, the Navy asked his nephew Stuart Milk, who has carried on his uncle's legacy as an LGBTQ+ rights activist, if he wanted the discharge upgraded, but Stuart Milk said it should stand as a reminder of the unfair treatment gay service members and others received. The renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships reflects the hostility of Hegseth and Donald Trump to the LGBTQ+ community and diversity in general. For instance, shortly after being confirmed as Defense secretary, Hegseth issued a directive banning staff from spending work time or resources on identity celebrations such as Pride Month, Black History Month, and Women's History Month. Plus the Defense Department is expelling transgender people from the military. "This is absolutely shameful. Harvey Milk was a hero. He was a veteran who served our country. He died for our community," gay California state Sen. Scott Weiner said on social media. "Brave LGBTQ veterans worked for years to achieve the naming of a ship for Harvey. Now Trump & Hegseth are wiping it away due to straight up bigotry. They're determined to erase LGBTQ people from all aspects of public life." U.S. Rep. and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi issued a statement to CBS News denouncing the renaming plans. 'The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream,' said Pelosi, who represents a San Francisco district. 'Our military is the most powerful in the world — but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the 'warrior' ethos,' she continued. 'Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.' While the Navy may be erasing Milk, his legacy will endure elsewhere. The Harvey Milk Foundation, established by Stuart Milk, works for LGBTQ+ rights around the world. May 22, Harvey Milk's birthday, is observed as Harvey Milk Day in California. And there are plans to honor him and other LGBTQ+ leaders with improvements to Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco.
Newsweek
20 hours ago
- Business
- Newsweek
What Happened to All the Corporate Pride Logos?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In a notable shift from recent years, a number of blue-chip corporations and sports organizations are quietly scaling back their public-facing support for LGBTQ+ Pride Month in 2025. About 39 percent of corporate executives say their companies are reducing public Pride efforts this year, according to a recent survey from Gravity Research. That includes less frequent use of rainbow-themed logos, fewer social media posts and scaled-back sponsorships of Pride events. The Context The change comes as brands grapple with political pressure and the fallout from past controversies, including 2023's high-profile backlash against Bud Light and Target for LGBTQ-inclusive campaigns. This pivot coincides with the Trump administration's scrutiny over both federal and private sector DEI programs. Multiple federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), have reportedly threatened investigations into corporate diversity practices. What To Know The muted corporate response this year marks a break from recent traditions. BMW, for example, updated its logo across its global social media footprint last June to reflect Pride Month, even going so far as to defend the decision when a user on X questioned why the rainbow flag was conspicuously absent on its Middle East corporate logos. This is an established practice at the BMW Group, which also takes into consideration market-specific legal regulations and country-specific cultural aspects (4/4) — BMW (@BMW) June 1, 2024 But in 2025, the German carmaker has not repeated the gesture, according to a Newsweek analysis of the company's public-facing social media accounts. Cisco, the Silicon Valley tech giant, also skipped updating its logo this year after incorporating the rainbow flag into its logo as recently as 2024. BMW's Facebook page in 2025 versus 2024. BMW's Facebook page in 2025 versus 2024. Facebook Cisco's Facebook page in 2025 versus 2024. Cisco's Facebook page in 2025 versus 2024. Cisco Newsweek reached out to both Cisco and BMW for comment. The NFL, too, has seen reduced visibility: Only four teams—the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers—have changed their logos to mark Pride this June. Most others have remained silent, a departure from the broader participation seen in prior years. According to the ML Football account on X, 12 NFL teams haven't posted about Pride Month: the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. Recent public backlash to corporate Pride campaigns has cast a long shadow. Bud Light's partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney spurred boycotts, political outrage and a significant loss of revenue for parent company AB Inbev. Bud Light even lost its long-held position as America's top-selling beer in May 2023, when it was overtaken by Modelo. Target removed Pride merchandise from stores after staff received threats based on viral social media posts. This year, the retailer is limiting Pride products to select stores, with the full collection only available online. Bank of America is also among the brands that appears to have abandoned much of their Pride marketing following the 2023 backlash, dropping the hashtag #BofAPride for the second consecutive year. The campaign had run uninterrupted from 2018 to 2023. Longtime corporate sponsors are also backing away from public Pride involvement. NYC Pride lost support from Nissan and PepsiCo, while San Francisco Pride saw Comcast, Anheuser-Busch and Diageo withdraw sponsorships. Even defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton dropped its DEI division and abandoned its WorldPride 2025 commitment, despite the global event behind held in its backyard of Washington, D.C. this year. The decisions reflects a broader cultural and political shift, with many executives citing the Trump administration's hostile stance toward diversity programs and transgender rights as a core reason for retreating. In January, shortly after Trump's return to the White House, the State Department enacted a "one flag policy," banning U.S. embassies and overseas missions from flying pride or Black Lives Matter flags. What People Are Saying Jeff Melnyk, founding partner at the corporate consulting firm Within People, on LinkedIn Pulse: "Pride was started as a riot by people shouting for change," he wrote. "Before our flag becomes part of your logo, consider what you are really standing for." Sarah Kate Ellis, president of advocacy group GLAAD, to CNN: "I do see there's pivoting happening (for Pride Month). What I don't see is corporates walking away from the LGBTQ community." What Happens Next A number of events and celebrations will take place in the U.S. during Pride Month. The annual WorldPride event is ongoing in D.C., and pride marches and parades will take place in cities including New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago in the weeks ahead. Those events are expected to have fewer high-profile corporate sponsors than in past years. In New York, the organization behind NYC Pride reported a $750,000 budget shortfall after some sponsors scaled back or ended their support of the annual festivities.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Columbus to illuminate City Hall for Pride Month, honor local LGBTQ+ advocates
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus leaders are illuminating City Hall on Monday in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, while honoring the first openly gay elected Columbus official and a same-sex marriage advocate who hails from the Ohio family behind Donatos Pizza. The illumination begins at about 8 p.m., when Columbus City Council and Mayor Andrew Ginther are presenting the Steven Shellabarger Illuminator Award to Mary Jo Hudson and Tom Grote. Named for activist Steve Shellabarger, the award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting LGBTQ+ rights to create a more inclusive city. Watch the City Hall illumination live in the video player above. Appointed to serve on city council in 2004, Hudson was the first openly gay public official in Columbus. She held the seat until 2007, when she was appointed by former Gov. Ted Strickland to serve as the director of the Ohio Department of Insurance. Hudson made history again as the first openly gay member of the Columbus City Schools Board of Education, where she served from 2014 to 2018. Columbus to review minority, LGBTQ+ business programs amid DEI crackdown She has served as a member of several other boards, including the Columbus Arts Council's board of directors and the national board of directors and board of governors for the Human Rights Campaign. Hudson is also a 2008 recipient of the YWCA Columbus' Women of Achievement Award. Grote grew up on Columbus' south side and got his start working for his family's business, Donatos Pizza. After working for Donatos for 20 years, he continued to work with the Grote family to expand the business and invest in and lead several tech startups in central Ohio. As part of his advocacy for same-sex marriage, Grote helped found Equality Ohio in 2005 and served as the organization's first board chairman. He has also served on numerous other boards of directors, including the Legacy Fund of the Columbus Foundation, the Short North Business Association and the Central Ohio Transit Authority. He was the first openly LGBTQ+ member of Miami University's board of trustees from 2010 to 2015 after being appointed by Strickland. Hudson and Grote worked alongside each other to launch the Stonewall Builds Capital Campaign in 2013, which led to the renovation and expansion of Stonewall Columbus' current North High Street building. Last year's winner was Stephen Snyder-Hill, an openly gay author, LGBTQ+ rights activist, and veteran who served under the U.S. Army's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, which barred gay, lesbian or bisexual people from military service. Two days after the policy was overturned, Snyder-Hill gained national attention when he came out of the closet during a Republican primary presidential debate in 2011. Columbus City Schools quietly dissolves its Equity Department Snyder-Hill was invited in 2015 to be the headlining speaker for a TEDx Talk at Ohio State University. Several years later, Snyder-Hill came out as one of the hundreds of students who were abused at the hands of doctor Richard Strauss, a former university physician who died in 2005. Snyder-Hill was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against OSU. Pride Month remembers the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, a series of conflicts between police and LGBTQ+ protesters that stretched over six days. Today, Pride commemorates the Stonewall protesters with parades, festivals, memorials and more. Stonewall Columbus kicked off its celebrations with the annual Pride Brunch at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on Sunday. Stonewall's Pride festival begins at 4 p.m. on June 13 at Goodale Park and runs until 10 p.m. with food, vendors, nonprofit organizations, community resources, and live entertainment. The celebration continues at 10:30 a.m. on June 14 with a march at Broad and High streets. While the city's first Pride march happened in 1981 with just 200 people, the Stonewall Columbus Pride parade welcomes more than 700,000 visitors annually. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The 2021 Vs. 2025 Pride Tweets From This Republican Lawmaker Are So Depressing
As we go into another LGBTQ+ Pride Month amid what appears to be a terrifying rise of authoritarianism, let's talk about Nancy Mace. There's a chance that you best know the Republican South Carolina representative for being incredibly weird about trans people in bathrooms. After Sarah McBride of Delaware was elected as the first openly trans member of Congress last year, Nancy managed to post about bathrooms 326 times in a 72-hour span on X. Her tirade worked; trans people can't use single-sex bathrooms that align with their gender near the House Chamber. Heading into Pride Month this year, Nancy kept up the fearmongering by insinuating that trans people are "groomers," a conspiracy theory that was once leveled at gay people but has grown in popularity in recent years. Alongside this, she shared an image of herself with a rainbow flag filter along with the caption, "Hands off our kids," just in case the original text was too subtle. Related: A Republican's Response To A "Tax The Rich" Chant At His Town Hall Is Going Viral Ol' Nancy also parroted the anti-science notion that there "are two genders," despite experts saying that there's not even a binary definition of sex. Then there was her charming characterization of trans women as men who "smear on lipstick and parade around in a dress." And that's just on one of her accounts! The tirade continued on her @NancyMace account, where she kept retweeting herself to let you know she's extra cool. Related: "I Am So Torn With What You Are Doing" — 11 Posts From MAGA Business Owners Who Are So Close To Getting It But Nancy wasn't always like this. In 2021, she shared an interview with the caption, "I strongly support LGBTQ rights. No one should be discriminated against. Religious liberty, gay rights, and transgender equality can all coexist." And for Pride that same year, she said, "We can all come together to celebrate the challenges our LGBTQ+ has overcome, and the bright future ahead." As recently as 2023, Nancy even voiced support for trans youth socially transitioning, saying in an interview, 'I'm pro-transgender rights. I'm pro-LGBTQ. Just don't go to the extreme with our kids." Like, not great, but not full brain rot yet. Of course, no other Republican has ever flip-flopped on their beliefs like this when riding the coattails of Trumpist Republicanism (this is obviously sarcasm). Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2025. Also in In the News: People Can't Believe This "Disgusting" Donald Trump Jr. Post About Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Is Real Also in In the News: Miss USA's 2024 "National Costume" Has Been Revealed, And It's Obviously An Interesting Choice Also in In the News: One Body Language Expert Spotted Something Very Telling When Donald Trump "Held His Own Hand" At His Recent Press Conference
