, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them.community, only to come under more fire when they tried to backpedal.
InterPride, which represents more than 375 Pride organizations globally, said 40% have reported their sponsorship dollars are up 20% or more this year. That’s an abrupt change from last year, when a majority of negative social media posts were focused on brands being "inauthentic" and not truly supporting the LGBTQ population even as they expanded their offerings.
Six weeks earlier, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney revealed on social media that Bud Light had sent her a commemorative can emblazoned with her picture. Boycott threats immediately followed, fueled by conservative commentators such as Matt Walsh, who has 1.9 million Twitter followers. "Companies may not be anti-LGBTQ, but they don't want to be putting their employees in a potentially dangerous space," Lopez said.
FILE - City of Miami police officers keep an eye on protesters outside of a Target store on June 1, 2023, in Miami, Florida.