Many U.S. and international brands have kicked off Pride Month promotions despite a consumer backlash against firms such as Target and Anheuser-Busch for pro-transgenderism marketing.
Mega brands such as Citi, Bank of America, Cisco, HP, and Pfizer have all changed their social media icons to Pride-themed logos. Promotions include new LGBT-themed product ranges, messaging, and donations to like-minded causes. However, there are certain regions of the world where the brands have kept silent as commentators have decried the Pride movement as a dangerous slide downward for Western civilization.
Adidas, which has long celebrated Pride Month, is offering its “Love Unites” collection featuring Pride-themed footwear, apparel, and accessories. “With bold, vibrant, and uplifting designs, Adidas Pride wear shows that love has no boundaries,” the company stated. Adidas actively supports an organization called Athlete Ally, which advocates for LGBT inclusion in sports.
On May 24, Apple released a new sport band for Apple Watch in support of LGBT people, featuring every color of the rainbow. The “Pride Edition” sport band’s vibrant colors “symbolize the beauty and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community,” the company states on its sales page. Apple also supports a number of LGBT organizations, such as GLSEN, PFLAG, and Equality Federation Institute.
Disney is offering rainbow-colored or -themed clothing, backpacks, Star Wars figures, toys, mugs, slippers, and more as part of its Pride collection. “The Walt Disney Company proudly works with nonprofits throughout the year to support the LGBTQIA+ community globally,” the company stated.
LEGO is selling an “Everyone Is Awesome” set in rainbow colors designed by an LGBT-identifying individual. “This sends a signal to everyone that this is what we stand for at The LEGO Group and that we want to embrace all of you, because creativity is for everyone,” Matthew Ashton, vice president of design at the LEGO Group and designer of the Everyone Is Awesome model, said in a statement.
Levi’s collection for June includes colorful jackets, hats, socks, and more. Popular shoe brand Teva is offering LGBT-themed footwear and accessories. Other footwear companies offering similar Pride collections include Vans, Uggs, and Toms.
Bombas is offering Pride flag-inspired socks and underwear, among other products. “Every purchase from this collection = an essential clothing donation to organizations supporting people facing homelessness,” the company stated.
Cosmetics brand The Body Shop is donating $1 from every purchase of its “Out for Love” highlighter to the Equality Federation, which pushes pro-LGBT policies in the United States. “Drag & 2SLGBTQ+ youth are under attack. Together we need to stand up and speak out against hate and intolerance,” the company stated.
Colorado-based snack bar manufacturer Bobo’s is offering Pride-themed bars. The company is giving 100 percent of profits made from these products to LGBT organization PFLAG. The brand is also using Pride Month to showcase work from various LGBT artists.
Fabric and craft retailer JOANN is offering sunglasses, bracelets, hair claws, and more as part of their Pride “One Together” collection. JOANN has a partnership with GLSEN, an organization that promotes LGBT ideologies in schools.
Auto-racing brand NASCAR supported Pride Month in a Twitter post on June 1, writing, “Pride is Universal.” Another post reads, “We celebrate the LGBTQ+ community during #PrideMonth and beyond.”
Other major sporting brands promoting Pride Month include Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer, and the National Women’s Soccer League.
Silent in the Middle East
While major firms are pushing a pro-LGBT narrative in the United States and other Western countries during June, conservatives are calling out such companies for maintaining silence about Pride Month in the Middle East.Companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Cisco, Bethesda, Lenovo, and BMW are showing off LGBT-themed logos on Twitter as part of celebrating Pride Month. However, their Middle Eastern Twitter accounts feature normal logos without any such themes.
“Breaking: Big corporations are running out of ink in their Middle East pages. What could possibly be the reason?” entrepreneur Eli David wrote on Twitter on June 3.
Companies have also faced backlash in some other areas for promoting LGBT ideologies. For instance, in India, Starbucks released an ad in May promoting transgenderism. It features a man named Arpit who transitioned into a female with the name Arpita. The ad triggered boycott calls in India while also garnering criticism from people in the United States.
Public Backlash
The corporate promotion of LGBT ideology is facing pushback from customers, and some companies have removed their Pride offerings.For instance, Target rolled out its Pride collection from some of its stores at the beginning of the month. The collection offered more than 2,000 products, including clothing, books, home furnishings, and calendars, among others. Some of the items were meant for children. After facing negative reactions online, Target removed the controversial items from stores located in predominantly conservative areas.
The boycott calls have also affected market capitalizations of such companies. Between May 1 and June 2, Target’s market capitalization fell from $72.52 billion to $61.49 billion. Between April 3 and June 2, Anheuser-Busch’s market cap declined from $132.06 billion to $108.96 billion. Anheuser-Busch drew the ire of customers after its Bud Light brand used a transgender influencer in a promotional campaign.
“If you want to understand the power of the Target Boycott you MUST see what Target is promoting for yourself. This has *nothing* to do with a rainbow ‘PRIDE’ display. This has *everything* to do with the aggressive and explicit sexualization of children,” journalist and commentator Benny Johnson wrote on Twitter on May 28.
“Some of the woke companies that turned their logo into pride flags last June haven’t done it yet this time around. They’ve seen the power of conservative boycotts, and they are running scared. We are so back!” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) wrote on Twitter on June 2.
