On Friday, ABC’s Good Morning America ran a segment decrying the decrease in funding and support for Pride Month by corporations that once used to offer suffering levels of support. GMA used a series of syrupy clips which created a narrative of pressure by the LGBTQ community on corporations to back them financially and publicly or else they hate the gay and transgender community.
ABC’s senior national correspondent Steve Osunsami came out of the gate with some statistics:
Good morning to you Lara, from the famous rainbow crosswalks here in Atlanta. A number of pride organizations across the country are having to make big adjustments with fewer headliners and fewer events. Parades, the floats, and the party in the streets don’t look so different this year, but a few big things are missing at this year's pride events.
In San Francisco, in Houston, in cities big and small, many of the corporate sponsors who just years ago were standing tall with rainbow flags, have left the celebrations. In Columbus, Ohio, they’re down $100,000 in corporate donations, 150,000 in St. Louis, down 200,000 in Kansas City. In the home of the nation's first gay pride march ever, the riots at the Stonewall Bar began a movement; nearly a quarter of corporate sponsors in New York City have pulled back or cancelled support this year, meaning a $750,000 difference.
Osunsami claimed that, as a result of pulled funding by corporations, pride organizations across the country can’t afford headliners and certain events. He said things don’t look so different this year, but then gave the amounts listed above in an attempt to make corporations look bad because they aren’t fully embracing Pride Month with floats and parties.
As much as ABC may have made them seem responsible, corporations have every right to decide whether to provide donations and aren’t mandated by any means to provide funding. The reason for pulled funding was that these corporations don’t feel like they have to pump money into pride month parades anymore in fear of cancel culture.
In clips from the President of Human Rights Campaign Kelley Robinson, she guilt tripped corporations for pulled funding:
I think the interesting thing that you’re seeing is companies are trying to walk this fine line, where they want to both support our community because they know we have trillions of dollars of buying power, and they’re also trying to cower to this intensified political environment that we’re in that wants them to silence our community, so what we’re saying is, you can’t just show up for the LGBT community when it’s easy, you’ve got to show up for us when it’s hard. So we’re making sure that we’re highlighting companies who are doing the good work, and also holding companies accountable that haven’t been showing up for our community. Because this is a time where we need them more than ever to affirm our rights and our presence.
Robinson said they were holding the corporations accountable for not showing up for the community (i.e. for not giving away thousands of dollars for parades). She then stated she and others will “remember their true friends,” in an attempt to make these corporations good or evil, you either donate and support, or you’re bad.
To Robinson, there is no option for your company to stay out of it entirely.
Robinson, as the president of the Human Rights Campaign, made over $700,000 in FY2023. Her company has a sub organization called Welcoming Schools, which promoted teaching children grades first through third, “What is Pride?”
The “exercise” called for six-year-olds to learn the meaning of gay and trans people and what they love, again, they are six. It then called for them to affirm that they support the LGBTQ+ community.
Osunsami ended the feel bad for us campaign here:
OSUNSAMI: The party really isn’t going to stop. Some of the same forces that are driving businesses away are pushing people towards these events. Some are seeing record turnout this year. Sort of a backlash to the backlash.
SPENCER: Yeah, that’s good to hear.
It’s not like the “backlash” was companies coming out to openly oppose LGBTQ people, they’ve simply stopped funding their parties.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to view:
ABC’s Good Morning America
8:43:10 AM
June, 27th, 2025
LARA SPENCER: Now to GMA Out Loud as we celebrate pride month. This morning, how many in the LBGTQ community are protecting pride as many corporate sponsors pull back funding on events. Senior National Correspondent Steve Osunsami has more on the people stepping up to keep the spirit alive. Good morning, Steve.
STEVE OSUNSAMI: Good morning to you Lara, from the famous rainbow crosswalks here in Atlanta. A number of pride organizations across the country are having to make big adjustments with fewer headliners and fewer events. Parades, the floats, and the party in the streets don’t look so different this year, but a few big things are missing at this year's pride events.
WATN ANCHOR YVONNE COOPER: Lots of changes this year and cities nationwide, including Memphis, have seen major corporations stop backing pride celebrations.
OSUNSAMI: In San Francisco, in Houston, in cities big and small, many of the corporate sponsors who just years ago were standing tall with rainbow flags, have left the celebrations. In Columbus, Ohio, they’re down $100,000 in corporate donations, 150,000 in St. Louis, down 200,000 in Kansas City. In the home of the nation's first gay pride march ever, the riots at the Stonewall Bar began a movement; nearly a quarter of corporate sponsors in New York City have pulled back or cancelled support this year, meaning a $750,000 difference.
PRESIDENT HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN KELLEY ROBINSON: We see this corporate backslide, we’ve had almost a 40 percent decline in companies that are externally supporting pride. What we still see is people showing up in big cities and small towns to declare that ultimate truth; that no matter who you are, you deserve to be seen.
(...)
8:45:29 AM
OSUNSAMI: Businesses are saying that they’re afraid of the economic uncertainty, or the reality that they could be punished for supporting gay and transgender rights. One survey of dozens of corporate executives found that two out of five said that they were dialing back sponsorship or even appearances at Pride Month activities. Kelley Robinson, the head of the largest gay political group in America, says that she and others will remember their true friends.
ROBINSON: I think the interesting thing that you’re seeing is companies are trying to walk this fine line, where they want to both support our community because they know we have trillions of dollars of buying power, and they’re also trying to cower to this intensified political environment that we’re in that wants them to silence our community, so what we’re saying is, you can’t just show up for the LGBT community when it’s easy, you’ve got to show up for us when it’s hard. So we’re making sure that we’re highlighting companies who are doing the good work, and also holding companies accountable that haven’t been showing up for our community. Because this is a time where we need them more than ever to affirm our rights and our presence.
OSUNSAMI: It was President Clinton who first federally recognized pride month in June of 1999. This June, the current administration said there was no need.
KAROLINE LEAVITT: There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June. I can tell you the President is very proud to be a President for all Americans.(....)
8:47:03 a.m.
"MORGXN": We're now at a time all across this country where you have to look at what's happening and you as a queer person, gay person,ever you want to identify, you have to look at it and say, how am I going to meet this moment and what am I going to do about it? Corporations need to step up and mean it. I am gay 365 days a year. You can support me and talk to me all year long. And if they're gonna back out, then stay out, because other people are going to meet the moment and that feels also something that I think is happening.
(....)8:48:14 a.m.
OSUNSAMI: The party really isn’t going to stop. Some of the same forces that are driving businesses away are pushing people towards these events. Some are seeing record turnout this year. Sort of a backlash to the backlash.
SPENCER: Yeah, that’s good to hear.
