Corporate Retreat: Betrayal of both LGBTQIA+ / Woke & Non-LGBTQIA+ community

 

 

It’s evident that a significant shift is occurring globally, with many corporations and organizations re-evaluating or outright withdrawing their support for Rainbow Day, Pride Parades, LGBTQIA+, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This trend, which began to accelerate in 2023 and is notably continuing into 2024 and 2025, is attributed to a combination of factors, primarily public backlash, financial losses, and increasing political risk, even in the United States.

 

Reasons for Withdrawal:

• Financial Impact:Many brands invested in LGBTQIA+/DEI efforts for 8-10 years (peak 2018-2022) with the initial motive of trend alignment and consumer loyalty for revenue increase. However, public backlash often led to significant sales drops and financial losses, making these initiatives unprofitable.
• Public Backlash & “Woke” Fatigue:A growing segment of consumers, particularly in the US and increasingly in Europe, do not want companies taking stances on social and political issues. Strong conservative movements and figures have actively called for boycotts of “woke” companies.
• Political Pressure (especially US):The “Trump effect” is cited as a major reason for companies rethinking DEI strategies. Executive orders and rhetoric against federal government DEI programs have pressured both federal contractors and private companies to scale back.
• Inability to Quantify Benefits:Some companies find it hard to quantify the tangible benefits of DEI programs, making them easy targets for divestment during economic volatility or when facing pressure.
• Security Concerns:Some Pride organizers are facing increased security costs due to threats and attempts to disrupt marches by far-right groups.
• Authenticity Concerns:Younger consumers (Gen Z) demand year-round commitment and are quick to call out performative gestures, leading to criticism even from within the LGBTQIA+ community if corporate support appears inconsistent. No corporate likes to be held to ransom by subordinates.

 

United States

 

The US has seen the most prominent and widely reported withdrawals, largely due to strong public backlash and political pressure.

 

Organizations & Companies withdrawing/scaling back:

 

• Anheuser-Busch (Bud Light):
  • Commentary:Experienced a massive nationwide boycott after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Sales dropped nearly 30%, resulting in an estimated USD 26 billion loss. Consequently, Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch have significantly pulled back from Pride sponsorships, including from San Francisco Pride.
• Target:
  • Commentary:Faced significant backlash in 2023 over its LGBTQ-themed merchandise. Sales fell nearly 6% due to “negative guest reaction.” In response, Target scaled back Pride displays, limited in-store merchandise to select locations, and discontinued a decade-long partnership with GLSEN (a prominent LGBTQ+ education organization). Twin Cities Pride (Minnesota) even ended its relationship with Target over the retailer’s curtailing of DEI initiatives.
• Walmart:
  • Commentary:In 2024, terminated DEI programs, ended racial equity training, ceased evaluating LGBTQIA+ initiatives, and decided not to renew its 5-year, $100 million commitment to racial equity initiatives.
• Comcast:
  • Commentary:Withdrew sponsorship from San Francisco Pride and reportedly scaled back support for other US cities’ Pride events, leading to significant funding shortfalls for organizers.
• Diageo:
  • Commentary:Pulled sponsorship from San Francisco Pride.
• La Crema:
  • Commentary:Pulled sponsorship from San Francisco Pride.
• Coca-Cola & PepsiCo:
  • Commentary:Reportedly pulled or scaled back support for various US city Pride events, including NYC Pride (PepsiCo). PepsiCo confirmed it was dropping its DEI approach in early 2025, adopting an “Inclusion for Growth” strategy instead.
• Citi (Citigroup):
  • Commentary:Scaled back or withdrew sponsorship from NYC Pride. Citigroup became the latest financial institution to drop its DEI initiatives in early 2025 amidst pressure.
• Amazon (Audible):
  • Commentary:Pulled support from some US city Pride events and has laid off DEI staff since 2023. Also ended some DEI programs by unifying employee groups under one umbrella.
• Nike:
  • Commentary:For the first time since 1999, did not launch a Pride collection in 2024, shifting instead to internal community programs.
• Google/Alphabet:
  • Commentary:Laid off DEI staff since 2023. Displayed inconsistent rainbow branding – applying it in Western markets but withholding it in others. Google’s former head of diversity announced the company was abolishing diversity and inclusion employee training programs and “updating” others with DEI content.
• Meta:
  • Commentary:Laid off DEI staff since 2023 and announced plans to end a number of programs designed to increase the company’s hiring of diverse candidates, cease equity and inclusion training, and suspend its approach to considering candidates from underrepresented groups.
• Toyota:
  • Commentary:Ended sponsorship of cultural events like LGBTQ+ Pride in the US, citing the politicized debate around DEI. Will also stop participating in cultural surveys and the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
• Ford:
  • Commentary:Made changes to its DEI policies and ended participation in the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.
• Harley-Davidson:
  • Commentary:Reassessing DEI commitments due to pressure.
• Lowe’s:
  • Commentary:Began reviewing DEI programs following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling in 2023, disbanding employee resource groups and combining them.
• McDonald’s:
  • Commentary:Diluted DEI commitments, abandoning diversity targets for senior roles, ending DEI requirements for US suppliers, and rebranding its diversity team as ‘global inclusion’.
• Molson Coors:
  • Commentary:Abandoned supplier diversity quotas and executive bonuses for representation targets. DEI training programs have been ditched for US staff.
• Accenture:
  • Commentary:Ended several DEI practices, citing compliance with Trump’s executive orders, while stating inclusion remains a core value.
• Boeing:
  • Commentary:Disbanded its diversity and inclusion team in late 2024 as part of a 10% overall headcount reduction.
• Brown-Forman (Jack Daniels):
  • Commentary:Ended several DEI initiatives in August 2024, including linking executive pay to DEI performance and scrapping employee and supplier diversity targets.
• Deloitte:
  • Commentary:Informed staff it will be ending its DEI program and “sunsetting” its annual diversity report.
• Goldman Sachs:
  • Commentary:Scrapped an internal diversity rule against advising clients with all-male, all-white boards.
• Home Depot:
  • Commentary:Quietly removed mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion from its corporate website and pulled sponsorship from Pride Toronto.
• AT&T:
  • Commentary:Reportedly rolling back many DEI initiatives, stopping all DEI training, dropping “pronoun pins,” and removing the Chief Diversity Officer position.
• Victoria’s Secret:
  • Commentary:Halted diversity-focused initiatives, including promotion targets for Black employees, and removed dedicated DEI sections of its website.
• Paramount:
  • Commentary:No longer using diversity targets within its talent acquisition strategy.
• KPMG:
  • Commentary:Scrubbed years of DEI reports from its website and ending its Accelerate 2025 talent strategy.
• UnitedHealth Group:
  • Commentary:Removed pages related to DEI from its website.

 

Globally, a profound sense of disappointment and betrayal has emerged regarding The Walt Disney Company, once lauded for its family-friendly content. This entity, traditionally a beacon of wholesome entertainment, is now widely criticized for leveraging specific children’s programming (e.g., “Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” “Baymax!,” “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures”) and supplementary books promoting concepts like ‘Mom 1 & Mom 2’ and ‘Dad 1 & Dad 2.’ This deliberate introduction of LGBTQIA+ and gender identity themes to impressionable audiences is widely seen as a severe form of indoctrination and grooming, inflicting profound psychological damage on children who naturally relate to the traditional roles of a mother and a father, thus deeply compromising parental trust and childhood innocence.

 

Canada

 

• Google & Home Depot:
  • Commentary:Canceled their financial support for Pride Toronto just weeks before scheduled events, contributing to a reported $900,000 funding shortfall.
• Shopify & Molson Coors:
  • Commentary:Among Canadian companies that have pulled back on some DEI initiatives.

 

Europe

Many European Pride organizers are also reporting significant drops in corporate sponsorship (some by as much as 30-50% in 2025), citing the “Trump effect” and the US culture wars impacting corporate decisions globally.

 

• Denmark (Copenhagen Pride):
  • Commentary:Chairperson Benjamin Hansen noted, “This year has been more difficult than usual as many major businesses have chosen to pull back from Pride.” Hansen, a brand, also removed rainbow logos and LGBTQIA+ content from US communications after safety and boycott threats.
• Greece (Athens & Thessaloniki Pride):
  • Commentary:Athens Pride reported losing about 30% of its sponsorship revenue. Thessaloniki Pride noted sponsors citing lower budgets and a desire for “less broad visibility.”
• Bulgaria (Sofia Pride):
  • Commentary:Organizers have lost 50% of their funding compared to the previous year, with concerns about the future given increasing calls to restrict LGBTQ+ rights in the region.
• Estonia (Estonian LGBT Association):
  • Commentary:Lost anticipated support from the US Embassy, as the Trump administration policy restricts funding for Pride events abroad.
• Germany (Cologne & Munich CSD):
  • Commentary:Organizers voiced concerns about the “Trump effect” and “global culture war against minority rights.”
• United Kingdom (Birmingham Pride):
  • Commentary:The City council withdrew over £15,000 in funding amid budget cuts.
• BMW Group:
  • Commentary:Did not repeat its 2024 gesture of updating its logo with rainbow colors in 2025, considering “market-specific legal regulations and country-specific cultural aspects.”
• Cisco:
  • Commentary:Skipped updating its logo with the rainbow flag in 2025, after having done so in 2024.
• Bank of America:
  • Commentary:Appears to have abandoned much of its Pride marketing following the 2023 backlash, dropping the hashtag #BofAPride for the second consecutive year.
• Kohl’s:
  • Commentary:In 2024, launched a Pride capsule collection, but opted to remain silent on Pride Month in 2025.
• Macy’s:
  • Commentary:Continues to support Pride events but has scaled back publicizing its efforts.

New Zealand

• NZME, Vodafone, BNZ, ANZ:
  • Commentary:All pulled sponsorship from Auckland Pride over a dispute concerning whether police officers should be allowed to wear their uniforms in the parade.

 

 

South Asia

• USAID-funded LGBTI projects:
  • Commentary: Following a January 2025 executive order by President Trump to pause foreign aid, explicitly excluding DEI and gender-identity initiatives (including transgender surgeries), nearly all USAID-funded LGBTI projects in countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were suspended. This funding freeze has severely impacted local NGOs and organizations in Sri Lanka that relied on USAID support for LGBTQIA+ advocacy, health services, and various diversity and inclusion programs. For instance, reports from early 2025 indicate that local organizations providing shelter, food, and psychological support to transgender individuals, and those working on “gender-sensitive education” or “gender-sensitive language” training for journalists, faced immediate cessation of activities and layoffs. This highlights a broader withdrawal of external support in regions where such initiatives were primarily foreign-funded, leaving many local groups in a precarious financial situation and forcing a reassessment of externally driven social agendas.

 

The overall trend indicates a significant reassessment by corporations of their involvement in LGBTQIA+ and DEI initiatives, driven by financial repercussions and a changing political and social landscape.

 

Corporate Self-Interest: A Dual Betrayal of Minority and Majority Communities

 

Global corporates are now financially adjusting their losses. Corporations in pursuit of “woke” profits are directly responsible for creating a societal rift. Corporates have wronged not only the LGBTQIA community but the non-LGBTQIA community as well. They used their mediums to present a mesmerizing picture to LGBTQIA community & pretended to be their shield & protectors but invariably they were only calculating what they were to gain. In so doing they directly exerted pressure to violate national constitution, change curriculums & most of all they wronged the traditional families & children.

 

For the vast majority of the global population, the traditional family unit, defined as a biological mother and father, remains the foundational societal structure. The aggressive promotion of concepts like “Mom 1 & Mom 2” and “Dad 1 & Dad 2” through corporate media, children’s programming (e.g., The Walt Disney Company’s “Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” “Baymax!,” “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures”), and supplementary books is widely viewed as a direct assault on these deeply held beliefs. This deliberate introduction of LGBTQIA+ and gender identity themes to impressionable audiences, driven by corporate agendas, is perceived as a severe form of indoctrination and grooming. It risks inflicting profound psychological damage on children who naturally relate to the traditional roles of a biological mother and father, thus deeply compromising parental trust and childhood innocence, while also influencing school curriculums and textbooks through funding and lobbying.

 

Historically, individuals identifying as homosexual or bisexual often led private lives peacefully. However, the narrative shifted dramatically with the concerted efforts of corporations, Big Pharma, and foreign NGOs and lobbies. Utilizing various media and communication channels, they are seen to have aggressively hyped the notion of “LGBTQIA+,” particularly promoting “transgender” identities. This push has coincided with a massive increase in reported cases of children undergoing medicalized sex changes, followed by a concerning rise in detransitioning narratives. These personal stories reveal the perceived deceptive nature of the information children were fed, leading them to undergo irreversible surgeries that may have ruined their lives.

 

This aggressive corporate pressure, motivated by profit and global market trends, is argued to have completely disregarded the fundamental rights of non-LGBTQIA+ communities and the sanctity of traditional family values. It paved the way for the forced legitimization of homosexuality, overriding the inherent moral and cultural objections of a vast majority of citizens in nations like Sri Lanka. The current corporate retreat is, therefore, a stark realization that these social engineering efforts, driven by selfish motives, have created a significant backlash and revealed the true cost of prioritizing perceived “progress” over deeply ingrained societal norms and the well-being of children.

 

 

 

Shenali D Waduge