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USA Today
06-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Pride reminded me capitalism can't save us from Trump. Only we can do that.
As Pride Month fades away and the summer heat blazes on, I'm left thinking about what queer resistance should look like during a second Donald Trump presidency. On the last weekend in June, I walked down Fifth Avenue alongside people dressed in their best rainbow regalia and parade floats blasting Beyoncé for New York City's annual Pride March. Commemorating the June 28 Stonewall uprisings, the march has taken place every year since 1970. But most of the LGBTQ+ people I am in community with were far away from the colorful, bank-friendly festivities. There's sort of an unspoken rule of pride in the city: The annual Dyke March and Queer Liberation March over pride weekend are for the politically active members of the community, while the city's official celebration is for corporations. But as Pride Month fades away and the summer heat blazes on, I'm left thinking about what queer resistance should look like during a second Donald Trump presidency. Will we miss corporations as they become more squeamish about supporting the LGBTQ+ community? Or is it time for us to reclaim our history and show people that we are a force to be reckoned with? LGBTQ+ folks know the fight is just starting If you didn't know, Trump spent June antagonizing the LGBTQ+ community. That month, his administration announced that the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline would be severing ties with LGBTQ+ organizations and that Harvey Milk was no longer worth honoring. The transgender community was specifically targeted. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that trans youth did not have a right to gender-affirming care. Trump threatened to pull funding from California because a single 16-year-old girl competed in a high school track and field state championship. The Stonewall National Monument didn't put up any transgender pride flags to commemorate Pride Month, even though trans people were central to the fight for liberation that took place all those years ago. This has affected how corporations are willing to interact with the community, too. NYC Pride March and other pride celebrations across the country saw corporate donors back out of supporting the events. Target and other stores pushed their pride collections to the side. Sure, we're still visible, but the political climate is telling us it's better to be seen and not heard. Now more than ever, we must remember the origins of why we celebrate the month of June. It's not just about rainbows and glitter. It's about defiance. It's about our rights. Rainbow capitalism won't save us. Community will. After the march, I made my way to PrideFest, the street fair hosted by NYC Pride. 'RuPaul's Drag Race' alums Jan Sport and Jackie Cox were emceeing the main stage; the dating app Grindr had a yellow bus parked down the street. Folks were sipping various frozen concoctions out of tall, skinny cups and sweating under the June sun. I spotted a miniature poodle named Scuttle, dyed purple and orange and wearing a rainbow costume, and stopped to talk to his owner, Zach Aaronson. Aaronson was also dressed for the occasion, sporting a rainbow skirt and matching dyed beard. 'The experiences that we've had this month show you that you're not alone, that you can express yourself and live outside of the binary all year,' Aaronson, 35, of Manhattan, told me. Maybe that's the true beauty of Pride Month in its current form – it gives people a springboard to jump from, so that they can be themselves all year long. As I was walking to exit the festival, I spotted Emily Clark, 18, of Staten Island, who had 'Baby's first Pride' written in pen on her arm. She smiled as she told me how supportive and loving everyone she'd met that day had been. I still have my qualms about rainbow capitalism and the way pride has been reduced to a party rather than a protest. I don't believe corporations will save us – if it weren't profitable to be aligned with the LGBTQ+ community, their support would disappear. For some companies, it already has. At the same time, I feel lucky. Lucky that I have found community in New York City, lucky that I stopped being 'straight' years ago. Lucky that my mother and father put up a pride flag outside their home in my small, conservative hometown. Lucky that I'm even able to critique what pride has become, thanks to what pride once was. None of us stop being gay just because June is over and Target is no longer selling rainbow T-shirts with cutesy slogans. None of us will go back into the closet when J.P. Morgan is no longer sponsoring a float. We don't need your performative activism on our behalf. We are here, in spite of it all, and we have something to say. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter:@sara__pequeno
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Syos wins company of the year at Hi-Tech Awards, Sir Peter Beck named Flying Kiwi
The contract meant Syos' Tauranga-based founder, Samuel Vye, will now fulfil his prediction that revenue would jump from $4m to more than $55m this year. His firm's website says Syos drones have 'proven operational success in conflict zones'. Willis said Syos was 'creating some of the most world-leading drone technology, and they are literally helping fight the conflict in Ukraine - because they do it better than any other country in the world, from Mt Maunganui.' The British deal was announced when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met his counterpart Sir Keir Starmer in April, when the countries' joint efforts to train Ukrainian forces were on the agenda. Last September, Vye was on an Aerospace New Zealand summit panel covered by the Herald, where a strong theme was that NZ is too squeamish about defence contracts. 'Silicon Valley VCs are happy with defence and dual-use investing. New Zealand is behind, in my opinion. We're still allergic to anything that could be considered used by the Navy or Army or Air Force – whether it's got 1080 on it or it's got guns on it,' Vye said. 'You could say we just make Toyota Hiluxes ... and then the payload goes on it.' Syos drones were also used for agriculture and environmental monitoring. Vye also told the Christchurch summit: 'We couldn't raise from New Zealand VCs because every single group – well, most groups – couldn't invest in dual-use technology because it was against their investment criteria and ESG [environmental, social and governance] policies so hence we went down the high-net-worth individual route.' After Syos' banner 2025, more options are likely to open up. Total immersion Deep Dive Division, a robotic diving company founded in 2018 by Tua and Courtney Karalus, was named Māori Company of the Year. The company is based in the Waikato but has done a significant volume of work in Tauranga, including laying artificial reefs in Tauranga Harbour as part of Cyclone Gabrielle restoration work. Deep Dive Division's founders joked they were 'social housing for crayfish'. It bills itself as NZ's only Māori and Pacific-owned commercial and scientific diving company. Its services range from hull cleans and biosecurity to film production – including work on blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water. Beefy AI Wellington's Mindhive Global won the start-up and agritech categories. It uses AI to detect 25 types of defects in cowhides within seconds, combining machine learning, image recognition, and industrial hardware in a way that's technically robust and commercially viable, the award judges said. Mindhive has recently landed business in Brazil and Italy, the home of leather. The Most Innovative Tech Solution and Most Innovative Manufacturer gongs were picked up by The Village Goldsmith - which is also disrupting a long-standing industry with its development of a unique platform, developed over 17 years and many lasers, that allows diamonds to float without visible prongs, claws, or clasps. It was an innovation the judges said was recognised globally as the most significant change in diamond solitaire ring design since 1886, leading to a deal with Tiffany & Co. Beck joins 'Flying Kiwi' hall of fame Sir Peter Beck was recognised as the 2025 Flying Kiwi and inducted into the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame. He received the honour for taking his company Rocket Lab from a start-up 20 years ago to the multibillion-dollar company it is today, while at the same time contributing to the development of the Kiwi aerospace industry and personally investing in a slate of homegrown start-ups. Watch Beck's pre-recorded acceptance clip below: The 2025 NZ Hi-Tech Award winners PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year Xero Hi-Tech Young Achiever Winner: Luke Campbell (co-founder & CEO of VXT) Advertise with NZME. Spark Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good Winner: Optimation Consult Recruitment Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector Winner: Talent RISE Datacom Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual Winner: Lee Timutimu Winner: Kitea Health Poutama Trust Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau – Māori Company of the Year Tait Communications Flying Kiwi Winner: The Village Goldsmith Advertise with NZME. Duncan Cotterill Most Innovative Hi-Tech Software Solution Winner: Toku Eyes Highly commended: Carepatron Braemac Most Innovative Hi-Tech Manufacturer of the Year Winner: The Village Goldsmith Kiwibank Most Innovative Hi-Tech Solution for a More Sustainable Future Advertise with NZME. Winner: Cleanery Winner: Mindhive Global Punakaiki Hi-Tech Start-up Company of the Year Advertise with NZME. Winner: Mindhive Global ASX Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the Year Winner: Projectworks Highly commended: Calocurb
