Opinion: LGBTQ+ rights have been under attack more heavily than ever this year. But how will these attacks affect Pride Month and the companies that support these celebrations?
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On June 6, the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans, the organization’s first declaration for the group.
This declaration comes after a report by the HRC which detailed more than 75 anti-LGBTQ+ laws that have been enacted this year, more than twice the amount signed in 2022, which had been referred to as the worst year on record.
“LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency,” Kelley Robinson, HRC president, said. “The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived — they are real, tangible and dangerous.”
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there have been nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced to state legislatures since the start of the year. A majority of these bills focus on banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth and preventing discussions of sexuality and gender identity in schools.
Beyond legislative initiatives, a new conservative social movement, based largely on cancel culture ideology, has begun to target individuals and corporations for their support of pride.
Starting back in April, conservatives first boycotted Bud Light after the beer company did a promotional video with popular social media user Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender woman who has used her platform to document her transition.
Immediately following the release of the video, a decline in sales plummeted the company’s stock, edged on by conservatives such as Kid Rock who posted a video of himself shooting a stack of Bud Light boxes.
The ironic thing about this boycott is the fact that former Bud Light fans have only switched to other beer brands either owned by Anheuser-Busch — the company that manufactures Bud Light and over 100 other brands — or Molson Coors — a company that has had a perfect HRC Corporate Equality rating for the past 18 years and is one of Denver Pride’s largest sponsors.
And now that it is Pride Month, several other companies have begun to roll out their rainbow logos and pride sections in stores, a decision often criticized online over whether or not these companies were actually supporting the LGBTQ+ population or just participating in rainbow capitalism.
This year though, the routine criticism has shifted to attacking companies for being too “woke,” meaning sexualizing and grooming children.
The most recent company to come under scrutiny is Target, a company that has featured a pride section for years. This year, Target included more than 2,000 items including ones designed and made by members of the LGBTQ+ population.
Online, conservatives have called the section satanic and falsely accused the products of being targeted toward children. But in person, conservatives have gone to the extremes of knocking over the displays and threatening employees’ safety.
As a result, Target has both moved its pride section within the stores and stopped selling certain products altogether.
All of this then begs the question: How are we supposed to celebrate pride this year?
The first point that should be made is that all of the companies previously mentioned will still be supporting pride events. Target is a platinum sponsor of NYC Pride and Anheuser-Busch is a sponsor of pride in Chicago, San Francisco, Charlotte and more.
These companies are joined by dozens of others including PepsiCo, Starbucks, General Motors, Walmart and so many more that have been expanding their LGBTQ+ support over the course of a decade.
According to LGBT Capital, a U.K.-based investment company, there are estimated to be more than 17 million LGBTQ+ people in the United States, creating more than $1 trillion in spending power. It’s an unavoidable force for companies to ignore.
The most important point that should be made though is that safety and security must be accounted for in pride celebrations more so than in years past.
As part of the HRC’s declaration, the organization also released a digital guidebook that includes health and safety resources, a summary of state-by-state laws, “know your rights” information and resources designed to support LGBTQ+ travelers or those living in hostile states.
Please don’t participate in pride events if it puts your safety or well being at risk. Not participating in pride in no way takes away from your identity or your status among the LGBTQ+ population. It is just the case that there is more work to be done to create the protections necessary for the LGBTQ+ population to be legally and socially recognized.
Pride isn’t going away. Not this year or any year in the future. Pride won’t go away just because conservatives lie and fearmonger online. Not because lawmakers believe they can strip us of our rights or treat us as any less of a person. Pride was created despite all of the hate and violence, and it will continue to be celebrated even if the hate and violence must continue.
