Every June, Pride Month descends upon the United States and colors corporate storefronts and websites alike with a seemingly endless number of rainbows. The main indication that Pride Month has begun is the sudden appearance of LGBT content and branding from otherwise neutral companies across multiple industries. We see it from clothing stores, professional sports teams, restaurants, and car manufacturers. But this year, there is a marked shift, and there are clear reasons for it.
Americans are exhausted by this month-long cultural celebration. It’s not so much that it merely exists; it’s that it dominates so much of our news and discussions. It is shoved in our faces in such a way that we must enthusiastically support it, or else. But what if Americans don’t want to participate? For many years now, it has felt like this isn’t allowed.
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The obvious shift in company approaches to Pride this year can be attributed mostly to political pressure, real or expected. According to the Pride Pulse Poll from Gravity Research, “senior corporate leaders are recalibrating both their public and internal strategies as pressure from the GOP and conservative activists grows.”
These adjustments are a result of both President Donald Trump’s win and the Republican congressional majority. As stated in its key findings, “39% of companies plan to reduce Pride-related engagement in 2025. Notably, no respondents reported plans to increase engagement. [And] 61% of executives cite the Trump administration as the top reason for rethinking Pride strategies, with conservative activists and GOP policymakers close behind. Employee pressure, once a key influence, has waned.”
The fact that nearly 40% of companies are reducing Pride-related engagement points to a significant cultural change. The corporate push over the past decade or more has been conspicuous in its overreach. Customers and clients have been inundated with Pride Month observations to the point to where it alienates those who don’t readily partake in its celebration. Companies can’t afford to sustain that, no matter the industry.
What’s more, Trump’s reelection was a clear indication that a majority of Americans didn’t want to move in a progressive direction, as former Vice President Kamala Harris would have done. As noted in the poll results, right-leaning activists and legislators also influenced the shift. Notably, employee pressure to deliver a more robust Pride Month expression appears to have gone down. All of these are positive trends.
There is no evidence to suggest that Pride and its accompanying celebrations and corporate cheerleading will ever go away. But the idea of demanding allegiance to a particular social cause is weakening. By and large, Americans don’t care if Pride celebrations exist. We just don’t want to feel strong-armed into vocal acceptance or participation. And we want children to be left alone. In fact, leaving all of us alone sounds preferable. But far too many times, corporate desires to appease a vocal portion of the consumer base mean we are not left alone.
MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUSPICIOUS OF CORPORATE SUPPORT FOR PRIDE MONTH
Companies and the LGBT community as a whole would do well to pay attention. Consumers are choosing not to involve themselves in Pride Month. The electoral victories of last November remain a clear indication of where the country prefers to go, at least for the foreseeable future. If companies and the LGBT community choose to ignore these indications, it will harm their separate goals.
Corporate Pride Month pullbacks are a step in the right direction. Recognizing and responding to the ideological diversity among customers and clients alike is not bigotry, just common sense.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a contributor to the Magnolia Tribune.