2025 NYC Pride Parade sees noticeable drop in corporate sponsorships amid DEI backlash
New York City's Pride Parade draws a colorful, overflowing crowd to celebrate the LGBTQ community each year. But there was one glaring difference in 2025 compared to previous years: a noticeable drop in visible corporate sponsorships adorning the parade route.
The parade celebrated its 55th anniversary this year. The official theme, 'Rise Up: Pride and Protest,' was selected to honor the legacy of the first Pride march in 1970, the year after the Stonewall Inn riots, according to the event organizers.
But the theme also reflected the mixed reception of nationwide rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
'We've experienced maybe a dip in about $750,000 in sponsorship. But we've actually raised $110,000 in just the last couple of days from 250 unique sponsors,' said Kazz Alexander, co-chair of NYC Pride. 'So that demonstrates how much people are willing to commit to this cause and how much we're all coming together.'
Norman Trotter moved to New York City from Los Angeles and is celebrating his first East Coast Pride but is a bit disappointed in the lack of visible corporate sponsors.
'[I'm] hurt, you know, because we are also supporting these companies, or going to their stores or shops or giving them money for them to pull back and say, 'You're not worth it.' It's painful,' Trotter told NBC News at the parade Sunday.
Sophia Huf moved to the East Coast from Minnesota and is also celebrating their first NYC Pride.
'I love seeing all the diversity and how many people are just out here,' they said.
But they said they are concerned with the lack of companies on the parade route this year.
'It hurts a little bit. Like certain companies ... I really feel like they did care for a long time, especially with stuff like their trans health care, stuff like that. And now that they're kind of pulling back on that DEI, it hurts. It feels like a betrayal,' they said.
According to a survey from Gravity Research, 39% of corporations are scaling back external Pride Month engagements this year. That's a double-digit increase from last year, when only 9% of corporations were changing their Pride plans.
An NBC News report also found that the organizers of several of the country's premier Pride celebrations lost an estimated $200,000 to $350,000 apiece in funding from corporate sponsors this year.
'We went out and we surveyed a group of corporate executives, 49 executives, to be specific, in the run-up to Pride Month,' Gravity Research President Luke Hartig said.
'Sixty-five percent of our respondents said that they feared backlash in some way to their Pride engagement. And when we asked them specifically what stakeholders are driving your adjustments to Pride, overwhelmingly, the biggest drivers of those adjustments were the Trump administration and conservative activists and consumers,' Hartig told NBC News.
Additionally, Gravity Research found that no companies surveyed in 2025 reported an increase in Pride investments.
Hartig said many of these large corporations are continuing internal DEI efforts but have lowered their public visibility for supporting identity-based months, like February's Black History Month and June's Pride, due to fear of backlash.
'Backlash can take a number of tangible effects. It can result in consumer-related boycotts. It can certainly result in the tarnishing of a brand. I think when it comes to the fear that a number of our respondents cited of the Trump administration, it also threatens to pull companies into this broader kind of anti-DEI effort we've seen from the administration,' he said.
'And that has included threats of investigations from the Department of Justice, from the FCC, from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. So to the extent that companies are concerned that they could get pulled into some of those broader investigations because of their actions, in private [they] certainly [are] going to have a chilling effect on their actions,' Hartig added.
Just this week, the Supreme Court sided with Maryland parents who wanted to opt their children out of learning from LGBTQ themed books in classrooms.
Globally, Pride parades have also faced major backlash. Yet over 100,000 people still showed up to a Pride parade in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday despite a government ban.
Attendees of the New York parade on Sunday said despite the rollbacks, it's more important than ever to celebrate the LGBTQ community.
'We need to show people that we're here, we're not going away. This can't be hidden. We cannot be hidden because we are people too. It's a show that we are people. We have pride in ourselves and our community, and should all come together,' Trotter said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Senate Republicans search for support Trump's big bill in overnight session
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is slogging through an overnight session that has dragged into Tuesday, with Republican leaders buying time as they search for ways to secure support for President Donald Trump's big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts while fending off proposed amendments, mostly from Democrats trying to defeat the package. An endgame was not immediately in sight. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is working for a last-minute agreement between those in his party worried the bill's reductions to Medicaid will leave millions without care and his most conservative flank, which wants even steeper cuts to hold down deficits ballooning with the tax cuts. Thune declared at one point they were in the 'homestretch' as he dashed through the halls at the Capitol, only to backtrack a short time later, suggesting any progress was "elusive.' At the same time House Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled more potential problems ahead, warning the Senate package could run into trouble when it is sent back to the House for a final round of voting, as skeptical lawmakers are being called back to Washington ahead of Donald Trump's Fourth of July deadline. 'I have prevailed upon my Senate colleagues to please, please, please keep it as close to the House product as possible,' said Johnson, the Louisiana Republican. House Republicans had already passed their version last month. It's a pivotal moment for the Republicans, who have control of Congress and are racing to wrap up work with just days to go before Trump's holiday deadline Friday. The 940-page 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' as it's formally titled, has consumed Congress as its shared priority with the president. In a midnight social media post urging them on, Trump called the bill 'perhaps the greatest and most important of its kind.' Vice President JD Vance summed up his own series of posts, simply imploring senators to 'Pass the bill.' The GOP leaders have no room to spare, with narrow majorities in both chambers. Thune can lose no more than three Republican senators, and already two — Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who warns people will lose access to Medicaid health care, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who opposes raising the debt limit — have indicated opposition. Tillis abruptly announced over the weekend he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened to campaign against him. Attention quickly turned to key senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who have also raised concerns about health care cuts, but also a loose coalition of four conservative GOP senators pushing for even steeper reductions. And on social media, billionaire Elon Musk was again lashing out at Republicans as 'the PORKY PIG PARTY!!' for including a provision that would raise the nation's debt limit by $5 trillion, which is needed to allow continued borrowing to pay the bills. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said his side was working to show 'how awful this is.' 'Republicans are in shambles because they know the bill is so unpopular,' Schumer said as he walked the halls. A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. The CBO said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade. Senators to watch Few Republicans appear fully satisfied as the final package emerges, in either the House or Senate. Tillis said it is a betrayal of the president's promises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close. Collins had proposed bolstering the $25 billion proposed rural hospital fund to $50 billion, but her amendment failed. And Murkowski was trying to secure provisions to spare people in her state from some health care and food stamp cuts while also working to beef up federal reimbursements to Alaska's hospitals. They have not said how they would vote for the final package. 'Radio silence,' Murkowski said when asked. At the same time, conservative Senate Republicans proposing steeper health care cuts, including Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, filed into Thune's office for a near-midnight meeting. The Senate has spent some 18 hours churning through more than two dozen amendments in what is called a vote-a-rama, a typically laborious process that went on longer than usual as negotiations happen on and off the chamber floor. The White House legislative team also was at the Capitol. A few of the amendments — to strike parts of the bill that would limit Medicaid funds to rural hospitals or shift the costs of food stamp benefits to the states — were winning support from a few Republicans, though almost none were passing. Sen. Mike Crapo, the GOP chairman of the Finance Committee, dismissed the dire predictions of health care cuts as Democrats trafficking in what he called the 'politics of fear.' What's in the big bill All told, the Senate bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, according to the latest CBO analysis, making permanent Trump's 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits, which Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide. It would impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements on able-bodied people, including some parents and older Americans, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states. Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants. Democrats fighting all day and night Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats as the minority party in Congress are using the tools at their disposal to delay and drag out the process. Democrats forced a full reading of the text, which took 16 hours, and they have a stream of amendments. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern at the start of debate late Sunday about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump's first term are now 'current policy' and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits. She said that kind of 'magic math' won't fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books. ___ Associated Press writers Ali Swenson, Fatima Hussein, Michelle L. Price, Kevin Freking, Matt Brown, Seung Min Kim and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New Report on Celtics' Anfernee Simons Decision
New Report on Celtics' Anfernee Simons Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Boston Celtics managed to get under the NBA's second tax apron by trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in separate deals. In the Holiday deal, they saved some money while acquiring a quality guard in Anfernee Simons. Advertisement Simons is not the player Holiday is, but he is a player capable of scoring 20 points on any given night. Over the last four seasons, the former Portland Trail Blazers guard has averaged 17.3 points or more. He's also averaged as many as 22.6 points per game, his scoring average for the 2023-24 season. The Celtics saved money while acquiring Simons and got a complementary electric scorer to put next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown when they're at full strength. Simons' contract will also expire in 2026, opening up even more cap space next offseason. Boston Celtics exec Brad Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images However, it's not guaranteed that Simons will be on the Celtics' opening night roster. Heavy's Steve Bulpett reported that Boston might trade Simons away, though it would be on one condition. Advertisement 'If you're doing a story about (Anfernee) Simons' fit with the Celtics, you'd better be quick about it to cover yourself,' an NBA executive told Bulpett while laughing. 'Boston's still out there talking trade, and he could be gone if the right move comes along.' Simons is owed almost $27.7 million for the 2025-26 season. While the Celtics got under the NBA's second tax apron partly because of this trade, they are barely below it. To ensure they won't cross it again, Simons could be traded for someone who makes less than he does. Related: Celtics in Danger of Losing Another Player After Two Major Trades Related: Jayson Tatum Makes Cooper Flagg Gesture After NBA Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US Senate push to pass Trump's $3.3 trillion bill extends into second day
By David Morgan, Richard Cowan and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON(Reuters) -U.S. Senate Republicans were still trying to pass President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill early on Tuesday morning, despite divisions within the party about its expected $3.3 trillion hit to the nation's debt pile. Senators voted in a marathon session known as a "vote-a-rama," featuring a series of amendments by Republicans and the minority Democrats, part of the arcane process Republicans are using to bypass Senate rules that normally require 60 of the chamber's 100 members to agree on legislation. Beginning early on Monday and running for roughly 18 hours, it was still unclear how long the voting would last. Lawmakers said the process had been held up partly by the need to determine whether amendments complied with special budgetary rules. Shortly after midnight, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters the vote-a-rama was "hopefully on the home stretch and then we'll see where the votes are." But hours later, there was no sign of the lawmakers moving to a vote on passage. Republicans can afford to lose no more than three votes in either chamber to pass a bill the Democrats are united in opposition to. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its assessment on Sunday of the bill's hit to the $36.2 trillion U.S. debt pile. The Senate version is estimated to cost $3.3 trillion, $800 billion more than the version passed last month in the House of Representatives. Many Republicans dispute that claim, contending that extending existing policy will not add to the debt. Nonetheless, international bond investors see incentives to diversify out of the U.S. Treasury market. Democrats, meanwhile, hope the latest, eye-widening figure could stoke enough anxiety among fiscally minded conservatives to get them to buck their party, which controls both chambers of Congress. "This bill, as we have said for months, steals people's healthcare, jacks up their electricity bill to pay for tax breaks for billionaires," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a speech to the Senate. Thune countered that the tax cuts will help families and small businesses, as he defended spending reductions to social safety net programs. He said Medicaid was growing at an unsustainable rate and there were some improvements and reforms to make it more efficient. The Senate narrowly advanced the tax-cut, immigration, border and military spending bill in a procedural vote late on Saturday, voting 51-49 to open debate on the 940-page megabill. Trump wants the bill passed before the July 4 Independence Day holiday. BILL POLITICS Amendments proposed by Democratic senators such as the proposed limiting cuts to Medicaid were rejected by the Republican majority. Embedded in the Senate Republicans' bill are several hot-button political issues, like a prohibition of Medicaid funding for a list of almost 30 medical procedures related to gender transition, as well as an increase of immigration-related funding for criminal and gang checks for unaccompanied migrant children, including examinations of "gang-related tattoos" for children as young as 12 years old. Early on Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans voted down an attempt by Republican Senator Susan Collins to cushion the impact of Medicaid cuts on rural health facilities by doubling federal support to $50 billion over five years and paying for the increase by raising the top federal tax rate. The measure still drew support from 18 Republicans. Elon Musk, formerly appointed by Trump to spearhead his government cost-cutting plan before the pair had a public falling-out in June over the budget bill, threatened on Monday to target Republicans ahead of the 2026 mid-term election. "Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!," Musk posted on X. He also reiterated his interest in a new political party and accused lawmakers in both parties of belonging to the "porky pig party," a dig at government spending levels. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which says the majority of its members are small businesses, backs the bill. However, John Arensmeyer, who represents more than 85,000 small enterprises at the Small Business Majority, cautioned that the business tax relief is currently skewed to the wealthiest, top 5% of small businesses. DEBT CEILING DEADLINE The Republican measure contains a $5 trillion debt ceiling increase - $1 trillion more than the House's bill - but failure to pass some version would present lawmakers with a serious deadline later this summer, when the Treasury Department could come close to exhausting its borrowing authority and thus risk a devastating default. The debt limit increase has caused Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky to come out in opposition to the bill, joining fellow Republican Thom Tillis, who decried its cuts to Medicaid and clean energy initiatives. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate bill would result in about 11.8 million additional uninsured people, surpassing estimates for the House's version. If the Senate succeeds in passing the bill, it will then go to the House, where members are also divided, with some angry about its cost and others worried about cuts to the Medicaid program. The megabill would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Senate Republicans, who reject the budget office's estimates on the cost of the legislation, are set on using an alternative calculation method that does not factor in costs from extending the 2017 tax cuts. Outside tax experts, like Andrew Lautz from the nonpartisan think tank Bipartisan Policy Center, call it a "magic trick." Using this calculation method, the Senate Republicans' budget bill appears to cost substantially less and seems to save $500 billion, according to the BPC analysis. (Writing by Richard Cowan and Costas Pitas; Editing by Michael Perry)
