In light of the current political and cultural landscape that has engulfed the United States since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, what was once unthinkable has come to pass.
In an effort to avoid a battle with the new administration over Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, (DEI) several big name companies rolled back previously celebrated efforts, which previously connected with the wider population. Google, Amazon, IBM, Walmart and Meta have gutted entire DEI departments, which were dedicated to bringing on different talents and championing visions of a better world for workers and consumers alike.
Despite continuing Republican efforts, there has been some pushback. Large groups of people have spoken with their pocketbooks, going so far as to plan out specific periods for boycotting businesses in order to enact an “economic blackout.” Target, where a majority of its messaging had been made with its DEI programs as well as support of the LGBTQ+ community through apparel and other sales saw a three percent dip in the first quarter of 2025 due to blowback from consumers.
The company acknowledged this in a recent earnings call for supporters and stockholders. Target CEO Brian Cornell described an “exceptionally challenging environment” that saw declines in both traffic and sales.
“We faced several additional headwinds this quarter including five consecutive months of declining consumer confidence, uncertainty regarding the impact of potential tariffs and the reaction to the updates we shared …” Cornell admitted. “While we believe each of these factors played a role in our first quarter performance, we can’t reliably estimate the impact of each one separately.”
Many see this as one side of the battle going on in America as of the last five or so months, all defined by fear of what Donald Trump and his administration will do if one corporation or another is found to even faintly support DEI programs, which also includes a strong support of LGBTQ+ initiatives, like Pride events. As has been feared by many, companies not wanting to be seen as supporting minority culture in the United States have started to back up, causing festivals to lose vital financial support.
After years of what many had called “rainbow capitalism” by corporations, companies have both put themselves in the shadows as to not be seen alongside the events they’d been longtime partners of, or just outright pulled out. As established, much of this is being done mainly in part concerning potential DEI investigations by the federal government, along with possible backlash by conservative activists and consumers, which represent another side of the nation’s counterculture wars.
According to a survey conducted by Gravity Research, 39% of executives have planned to decrease their recognition of Pride events in 2025, which include city parades. One example is this year’s NYC Pride March, where platinum sponsors Garnier, Mastercard and Target have now backed away, causing an estimated shortfall of $750,000 in operating budget for Heritage of Pride, according to The New York Times.
Other cities have seen similar hits, like Anheuser-Busch InBev dropping out in St. Louis and Diageo doing the same in San Francisco, both of which were key sponsors. The list seems to be the longest at one of this year’s biggest events taking place in the states, WorldPride, being put on in Washington D.C. by the Capital Pride Alliance. As reported by bizbash.com, former sponsors including Comcast/Xfinity, Booz Allen Hamilton, Mastercard, Deloitte, Visa, and Amtrak are stepping out of this year’s festivities, blowing a hole in the high-profile happening.
Nearby, Atlanta is also seeing a hit with its funding. As reported by Atlanta First News on May 30, the city’s Pride Run, which kicked off festivities on June 1, experienced a nearly 45 percent drop in donor support.
“We’ve definitely seen a change, and it’s rough,” Troy Newkirk, Atlanta Pride Partnerships director, told Atlanta News First. He confirmed some former contributors said no to increasing past donations and pointed to political and economic factors; and others are apparently fearful of the Trump Administration targeting LGBTQ+ initiatives and cuts to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programming. While donors have contributed, some have insisted on anonymity.
So, if these kinds of pull-outs are happening in other cities, where does that leave somewhere like Charlotte? According to Meredith Thompson, the managing director of Charlotte Pride, much of what has befallen other townships has yet to be seen.
In North Carolina many of our Pride festivals don’t fall exclusively in June. Charlotte’s own festivities will start two months after June kicks off the main festivals around the nation, so there is still a wait-and-see approach as to what shortfalls may occur here. As Thompson put it to QNotes, Charlotte Pride has its eyes open to the chain of the events in other places, and it’s only a matter of time here.
“So it’s still, believe it or not, kind of early to tell. I will say that some [sponsors] are taking longer to hear back from,” Thompson said. “And you know, I do predict that we’re going to see some of them step down the level of support or not wanting their logo publicly included on marketing. So there definitely is a change, and there definitely is some stepping back.
“It’s really disappointing because I think that collectively, if they sort of all did the right thing, that it would have a lot of power, and I think that they’re acting out of fear of retaliation from this administration and from the reach that it has,” Thompson also said.
“[But] there are some people that, while I haven’t heard from yet, some of them are staying at the same level, I think I’ve had very few who are sort of stepping up support. [But] you know, at the end of the day, I know we’re going to be okay.”
Thompson indicated there are a few nodding hopes at businesses local to Charlotte that might bring unexpected help. Despite Target at large rolling back their DEI measures, they will be giving to Charlotte’s festivities this year in goods, like well-needed waters for the expected heatwave sure to hit the Queen City during Pride festivities.
“Target hasn’t been like a huge sponsor of ours, but they are going to get us pallets of water for the festival this year, which is huge because, you know, I’m not sure yet if the other sponsor who used to get us water is,” Thompson revealed.
Along with Target’s help, other top supporters like Krispy Kreme and McDonalds, through an independent franchisee, are sticking around to give Charlotte Pride the support that is desperately needed to make the festivities happen.
As Thompson told us, some of the continued shows of faith are due to the good relationships kept up with. “You know, it was surprising because we all wanted to boycott Target [because] of what we’ve read and heard. But then, you know, when I had lunch with the Target representative, they were great, and they’re like, ‘What do you need? You need water. I’ll give it to you,’ so … it’s all about that relationship and that person who maybe has some power within that corporation, and just kind of getting their ear,” Thompson said.
Will Charlotte Pride be okay? The answer at the moment is a bit unclear and made more complex by what Thompson, working to make sure things go off without too many hitches, has witnessed.
There seems to be as much hope as there is fear in that respect, but with companies keeping up the tradition in some areas and others stepping up – even in such a negative political climate – that’s a good sign our community has plenty of friends and allies who aren’t afraid to let everyone know they’re still supportive.