Some things just go together: President Trump and Diet Coke. Tom Cruise and death-defying stunts. Target and Pride Month.
Since launching its first campaign a decade ago, the big-box retailer has been one of the most eager participants in the annual weeks-long orgy of LGBTQ “representation,” which finds free-spending, virtue-signaling brands sponsoring events, releasing collections of Pride-themed products, and festooning their logos with rainbows.
Many big corporate sponsors have either pulled out entirely, scaled back, or asked that their donations not be publicly disclosed.
Perhaps no company has gained more publicity from the summer same-sex sale-a-bration than Target. It’s also attracted plenty of backlash, most notably a
highly publicized consumer boycott two years ago.
But nothing could have prepared one Target shopper for what she encountered upon entering the store last week.
“Tuck-friendly” women’s bathing suits? “Queer”-affirming children’s apparel?
That’s so 2023.
This year Target has gone viral for indulging in a decidedly more traditional (and, ironically, more “inclusive”) display of pride:
good, old-fashioned American patriotism.
Putting ‘Pride’ aside
“Walking into Target – instead of a giant “PRIDE” display as in the past, they have a USA section!! This is winning!”
posted Wisconsin mother of four Katie Yonke on X Tuesday, emphasizing her enthusiasm with three American flag emojis.
While Yonke’s post is anecdotal at best, it does reflect the company’s newly low-key approach to Pride Month.
As one TikTok user
pointed out, Target’s latest Pride collection now largely consists of a series of collectible bird figurines.
Social media silence
Other corporate behemoths are also downplaying their Pride involvement.
For evidence of this, one need look no farther than X. In addition to
Target, Anheuser-Busch, IBM, XBox, Disney, Starbucks, Nike, Bank of America, Converse, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty are among the brands that have not acknowledged Pride Month with changes to their profiles.
Perhaps even more telling is Google’s silence on the matter. While recent regional
“Google Doodles” have commemorated the 2025 Korean presidential election and Italy’s Republic Day, nary a “love is love” sign is to be found on the search giant’s homepage.
RELATED: ‘Sesame Street’ targets children for Pride Month … again: ‘This should not be promoted to kids’
Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Google has also
removed Pride Month and several other “holidays” from the Google Calendar, calling the proliferation and maintenance of these moments of remembrance “unsustainable” for the Calendar team.
Apple is another major Pride booster avoiding the spotlight this year. Its
collection consists only of an Apple Watch band and some accompanying wallpapers.
Donations on the down-low
Sponsorship of Pride events in cities like San Francisco, Columbus, and St. Louis has also taken a hit. Many
big corporate sponsors have either pulled out entirely, scaled back, or asked that their donations not be publicly disclosed.
New York City Pride, the largest Pride event in the nation, has usually depended on a handful of “platinum” donors — high-profile brands like Garnier, Mastercard, Skyy Vodka, and Target who give at least $175,000 to event organizer Heritage of Pride. This year, all but one have decreased their commitments.
Donors such as Nissan, PepisCo, Comcast, and Diageo have also
stepped away from Pride celebrations.
Beating around the Busch
Anheuser-Busch has backed out of events in Columbus and San Francisco, as well as its hometown of St. Louis.
The brewer’s cold feet come as no surprise, considering the fallout from its
disastrous Bud Light marketing campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April 2023. The ensuing conservative boycott was devastating to the company; clearly, other companies paid close attention.
Re-engineered allyship
Pride goeth before a fall. Even those who reject such wisdom as outdated could have seen this coming, thanks to consulting firm Gravity Research’s report from April.
The
key takeaway from the report’s survey of corporate leaders is that brands are increasingly publicity-shy when it comes to Pride Month. Rather than risk the backlash of abandoning it altogether, may have chosen to “re-engineer” their approach: “As polarization deepens, brands are favoring lower-profile, internally focused strategies that minimize public exposure while signaling commitment to employees.”
The report goes on to reveal some surprising statistics: “39% of companies plan to decrease overall engagement, and 41% report no change compared to previous years. No executive said they plan to increase Pride efforts overall.
Related: Rainbow rebellion: How Christians can take back what Pride Month stole
Martin Wahlborg/iStock/Getty Images Plus
The report also
found that such companies were responding to pressure from three major groups: the Trump administration, conservative policymakers, and activists.
Gravity Research President Luke Hartig
told CNN, “It’s clear that the administration and their supporters are driving the change. Companies are under increasing pressure not to engage and speak out on issues.”
Power of the pocketbook
In short, the highly effective boycotts levied against Anheuser-Busch and Target two years ago were just the beginning of more sweeping change, catalyzed by Trump 2.0’s crusade against DEI policies.
Companies previously so quick to engage in trendy social causes are discovering that their activism comes with a price; controversy is far less appealing when it starts to affect the bottom line. They will no doubt pivot, as they always do, and live to sell another day.
Meanwhile, consumers on all sides have been reminded of their own immense power. No matter how much money is thrown at promoting a certain worldview, it’s their dollars that get the final say.
Pride month, Google, Target, Apple, Pride, Trump administration, Go woke go broke, … goeth before a fall, Culture
