Alright everyone, Jeremy here reporting live!
BREAKING: Pride Month OFFICIALLY CANCELLED! Major Brands Abandoning Celebration!
Get ready, because we’ve got some good news for a Monday. Every major brand you can think of – Walmart, Hershey’s, GameStop – all of these companies have decided it’s over for Pride. They don’t want to deal with it anymore because it’s just not worth it.
We’ve always said, keep your personal preferences to yourself. The world was better when people kept more stuff private. And honestly, it’s wild how many companies have completely abandoned Pride Month this year.
We’ve been checking the social media of the usual “woke warriors”. Apple? Nope. Google? No change. IBM? No change. Microsoft? No change. Xbox? No change. Disney? No change. Target? No change. Starbucks? Even Starbucks roached out on the gays! Of all the companies, you’d expect Starbucks to stay involved. Bank of America? No change. Blizzard? No change. World of Warcraft? Also, no change. Bethesda? No change. Walmart? No change. McDonald’s? No change. Amazon? No change. Netflix? No change. Ubisoft? Also sitting this one out. We looked, and couldn’t find anything about Pride from Starbucks, Walmart, McDonald’s, or Amazon on their social media feeds.
For the last several years, Pride Month has been a splashy marketing event for big brands. They decorated stores with rainbow flags, put LGBTQ themed merchandise like t-shirts and coffee mugs by the entrances, changed their logos on social media, and highlighted donations to LGBTQ rights groups. But this year, companies are treading lightly, avoiding prominent campaigns and visible public support.
So, why do you think that is?
A recent survey of over 200 corporate executives by Gravity Research found that 39% plan to scale back their public Pride Month engagements this year. This includes sponsoring events, posting supportive messages online, and selling Pride themed merchandise.
The executives cited several reasons. They are wary of provoking right-wing customers and activists. They also fear reprisals from the Trump administration. According to the survey, businesses specifically cited pressure from the Trump administration as the primary reason for changing their Pride Month approach. Federal agencies like the EEOC and the Justice Department have been threatening to investigate companies with DEI inclusion programs. L. Harding, the president of Gravity Research, stated that it’s clear the administration and their supporters are driving this change, and companies are under increasing pressure not to speak out on issues.
The survey also mentioned businesses tightening advertising spending due to economic uncertainty over Trump’s tariffs. But let’s be real, that’s just Bologoney. They’re using that as an excuse.
This subdued approach marks a significant shift. It’s part of a broader pivot in corporate America, with many businesses scrapping some diversity programs under pressure from the Trump administration and Republican activists.
Advocates for the LGBTQ community claim the administration’s opposition makes it harder for businesses to compete, innovate, and attract talent. But is that really true? Does Target selling just 14 Pride items really affect their bottom line? Does an LGBTQ person looking for a job really care if a business promotes Pride? No, they don’t.
Some also warn companies risk losing business by downplaying support for the growing number of people who identify as LGBTQ. But we don’t see any issue with Target not promoting Pride. It doesn’t affect us, and honestly, it doesn’t affect any LGBTQ people either. Remember what happened with Bud Light last year after their partnership with Dylan Mulvaney? Bud Light sales tanked. They ended up hiring straight men like Shane Gillis and one of the Kelsey brothers to fix their marketing.
Target is taking a muted approach this year. They are selling a collection including home goods, pet items, books, vinyl, and apparel, but they’ve moved it online. They don’t have it in the stores anymore. A Target spokesman said they remain dedicated to inclusivity and will mark Pride Month by offering products, hosting internal programs, and sponsoring local events. But they just aren’t going to do it out in front where anyone can see it. Frankly, that’s more pathetic. If you’re going to be loud, you have to be proud.
Other companies are dialing back too. Last year, Kohl’s had a Pride collection and donated $100,000 to the Trevor Project. This year? Kohl’s hasn’t announced any plans and didn’t even respond to CNN. Macy’s is supporting local events this year, but they didn’t tout a donation campaign like they did last year. Nordstrom, Gap, and other clothing brands that highlighted Pride efforts last year appear not to have done so this year. They’ve completely banned it.
But here’s something even better. While everyone expected the usual companies to celebrate Pride, Ubisoft, who makes games like Rainbow Six Siege, did the unthinkable. Instead of celebrating Pride, they highlighted June as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month! They encouraged people to reach out to friends, ask how they’re doing, play a game, and look out for each other. This is a huge respect post. It feels like our timeline is finally healing. Remember when June was just June?
This is a rare Ubisoft W. Not only are they abandoning Pride, but they’ve pivoted to something that actually matters, which is men’s mental health. Men often keep things bottled up and suffer in silence, and we aren’t great at checking in on each other. So this is a very great cause.
Absolute W for Ubisoft and all the other brands who have abandoned Pride. We’ll see what happens around the midterms. We suspect these companies will try to make their move back into Pride next year. But God willing, we’ll be right here to report on it and laugh at them with you.
