Pride Month Begins as Corporations Face Conservative Boycotts
AllSides Summary
June 1 marks the beginning of LGBTQ Pride month, and outlets across the spectrum are covering celebrations, reflections, and backlash.
History of Pride Month: Coverage from the Associated Press (Lean Left bias) broke down the history of Pride month, stemming from an incident in 1969 when New York City police raided a gay bar, leading to a violent confrontation between officers and club attendees. The article went on to assess the current state of Pride month, which is facing resistance from some in the LGBTQ community on account of increasing commodification from corporations and brands.
Corporate Boycotts: Some voices on the right are also expressing dissatisfaction with the commodification of Pride month for different reasons. An opinion piece in the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) outlined the recent wave of conservative boycotts against corporations that embrace LGBTQ messaging and branding, including Bud Light and Target. The writer stated, “Republicans across the country are becoming aware of their own economic power and are voting with their dollars.”
“Climate of Fear”: An article from The Hill (Center bias) reported on anxiety and fear among LGBTQ community members heading into Pride month after the past year’s wave of legislation imposing restrictions on drag shows, discussions of gender and sexuality in classrooms, and more in Republican-majority states. In Florida, where many of these bills have been championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a Pride month celebration in St. Cloud was canceled by organizers wary of a “climate of fear” in the community.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
LGBTQ+ Pride month kicks off with protests, parades, parties
The start of June marks the beginning of Pride month around the U.S. and some parts of the world, a season intended to celebrate the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities and to protest against attacks on hard-won civil rights gains.
This year’s Pride takes place in a contentious political climate in which some state legislators have sought to ban drag shows, prohibit gender-affirming care and limit how teachers can talk about sexuality and gender in the classroom.
Events have been disrupted. Performers have been harassed. And in Colorado in...
From the Right
Over the Target: How conservative boycotts have leftists losing their minds
Those on the political Left, with their union ties and generally collectivist worldview, have long used boycotts to bring about change much more effectively than conservatives. Over the last month, the Right’s boycotts of Bud Light and Target have challenged that trend.
Bud Light sales have tanked since the company made the ill-fated decision to use transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney to market to working-class men. Target’s stock has lost over $9 billion in value, and the company has been forced to remove some of its LGBT merchandise (some of which...
From the Center
Pride Month feels different as threats, fear of violence grows
For the residents of St. Cloud, Fla., a small city on the outskirts of Orlando, Pride Month feels different this year — and it looks different, too.
There will be no procession of rainbow Pride flags, or drag entertainers or street vendors this June.
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