Corporate LGBTQ+ Pride: 2015 Vs. 2025

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2015 was the year equal marriage finally became a reality across all of the US. And, in terms of how differently many companies approached Pride that year, it feels like it may as well have been a hundred years ago.
The involvement of corporations in Pride has long been a heavily debated topic. There are some who feel as if the support of companies was motivated by profit, rather than an earnest commitment to LGBTQ rights. Undoubtedly, how companies are marketed can function as a symptom of the wider culture around them, potentially our slide back into conservatism.
So, here's a then vs. now for some notable companies:
In 2015, Target unveiled its #TakePride campaign. It included a 80-second video, where, over footage of rainbow flags and Pride celebrations, a speaker said, "We're not born with pride. We take pride. Pride in celebrating who we were born to be.' In a press release, the brand added, 'Those are the powerful words we at Target want all guests and team members – of every size, color, gender and sexual orientation – to hear as we head into Pride month this week. But let us be clear: to Target, pride doesn't just start and end in June, it is a year-round commitment."
This year, Target still had a Pride collection of clothing and homeware, though they appear to have kept Pride off of social media and decreased the prominence of the collection in their physical stores. Still, Target was a "platinum sponsor" of Pride in at least New York City.
Tesla marked the 2015 San Francisco Pride parade with a rainbow S model car that read, 'Equality without exception.' One commentator called it, 'Quite possibly the most left-wing car ever to greet the earth.'
Fast-forward to 2025, and Tesla doesn't appear to have engaged with any Pride content. CEO Elon Musk is now posting about how "woke is dead" on X.
In 2015, if you headed to facebook.com/celebratepride, it would superimpose a rainbow over your profile picture. Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Arnold Schwarzenegger took part. Mark Zuckerberg said of the equal marriage Supreme Court ruling, 'Our country was founded on the promise that all people are created equal, and today we took another step towards achieving that promise.' He even personally called San Francisco Pride to get Facebook a slot at the parade.
This year, SF Pride cut ties with Meta after they scaled back some DEI initiatives. Meta wasn't part of this year's parade, which had the theme 'Queer Joy is Resistance.' They don't seem to have posted anything to mark Pride.
In 2015, Googling various queer terms would result in the search engine displaying a number of rainbows back at you. Google Business Profile, previously known as Google My Business, even ran an ad showing a trans man talking about his transition. Android had its "And Proud" campaign, which featured "android versions of gay and gay-friendly celebrities."
In 2025, Google's doodle on the first of the month was a celebration of hyperpop. In a statement, Google said, "In celebration of Pride Month, today's Doodle celebrates hyperpop, a genre/anti-genre of electronic music pioneered by LGBTQ+ artists." Last year, they removed events like Pride and Black History Month from their calendar app, as it was meant to 'reduce manual work for a global user base."
AT&T still promotes Pride events to its employees via its Employee Resource Group. However, earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that it was "no longer encouraging employees to wear pins that state their favored pronouns and has canceled a series of LGBTQ-friendly events...The company will no longer fund the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention group for LGBTQ+ youth, or Turn Up the Love, a series of Pride events that partnered with musical artists."
In 2015, Bud Light sponsored Pride events, such as in New York City and LA.
This image is from a 2019 GLAAD event.
This year, Anheuser-Busch (Bud Light's parent company) did not renew its 30-year-long sponsorship of PrideFest in St. Louis.
A decade ago, Starbucks raised the pride flag above their Seattle headquarters. In a statement, the company said, "Given our public stance on diversity and inclusion of all people, particularly on this issue, it makes sense to raise the flag in celebration. Being open, inclusive and forward-thinking is at the core of what Starbucks is about."
This year, Starbucks is one of the big sponsors of Pride events in cities like San Francisco, New York, and Washington, DC. They don't have a Pride collection in the US à la 2024, but they appear to have continued programming in the Asia Pacific region.
In 2015, skincare brand Nivea didn't appear to do anything to mark Pride.
In 2025, Nivea has partnered with advocacy group PFLAG for the second year in a row. They launched the "Proud In Your Skin" initiative, which included a limited-edition Pride Creme Tin available for purchase online and in some Walgreens.
In 2015, MAC Cosmetics wrote on Facebook, "Express your creativity, play with colour and be your true self this #Pride month – and 365 days a year – with the brand that's been there with you since day one. #MACLovesPride."
This year, MAC partnered with Kim Petras for a new installment of their "Viva Glam" collection, which has been going on since the '90s. It boasts that 100% of the selling price is donated back to LGBTQ+ charities, having raised over $535 million in its lifespan.
In June 2015, Coca-Cola featured a queer family in one of their ads, saying in a statement, "This ad was developed as part of our Choose Happiness campaign, launched in North West Europe in May. The campaign encourages us all to spread happiness, while fostering unity, diversity and respect.'
This image is from 2020.
This year, Coca-Cola has a Pride collection of merchandise. They were a corporate sponsor at Pride events in cities such as New York and LA.
Finally, a decade ago, Ben & Jerry's marked marriage equality by renaming one of its ice creams to "I Dough, I Dough." They further spotlighted the stories of queer couples, writing on their website, "When Ben & Jerry's extended full benefits to the partners of employees in same-sex relationships back in 1989, it was a fairly radical move. The general climate in the US wasn't very supportive of LGBT rights, let alone same-sex couples seeking the same recognitions as heterosexual couples."
This year, the ice cream brand is actively protesting the Trump administration (the co-founder even got kicked out of an RFK hearing last month for protesting for Palestine). They've posted in solidarity with trans rights and made a video on protest rights to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
Have you noticed any major differences in how companies tackle Pride? LMK in the comments!
Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2025.