"Big brands are pulling back on Pride merchandise and events this year"

For the last several years, Pride Month was a splashy marketing event for big brands. Stores adorned windows with rainbow flags, displayed LGBTQ-themed t-shirts and coffee mugs at their entrances, changed their logos on social media accounts, and spotlighted donations to LGBTQ rights groups.

But this Pride Month, many retail chains and brands are going quiet.

Companies are treading lightly, avoiding prominent campaigns and visible public support. Thirty-nine percent say they plan to scale back public Pride Month engagements this year, according to a survey of more than 200 corporate executives by Gravity Research, a risk management advisory. That includes sponsoring Pride events, posting supportive messages of LGBTQ rights on social media and selling Pride-themed merchandise.

Consumer brands are wary of provoking right-wing customers and activists, and they fear reprisals from President Donald Trump’s administration. Federal agencies have threatened to investigate companies with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. [...]

The subdued approach marks a shift for businesses, which used to turn the annual June celebration of LGBTQ Americans into a branded holiday. It’s part of a broader pivot in corporate America, with many businesses scrapping some of their programs to advance diversity in the workplace under pressure from the Trump administration and Republican activists. [...]

Many businesses have stopped participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s scorecard on corporate policies and benefits for LGBTQ employees due to backlash.

“Companies that show up only when it’s convenient, or backtrack the moment there’s political pressure, risk losing trust and credibility,” Bloem said. [...]

Bud Light and Target

Companies are actively preparing for Pride-related backlash this year from conservative activists and consumers.

Sixty-five percent of companies in Gravity Research’s survey said they were preparing strategies to respond to blowback. A growing number of chains, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, have also been warning investors about the risks of consumer boycotts over corporate positions on social issues.

Anger from the right over Bud Light and Target’s marketing efforts, in particular, has had a chilling effect on corporate strategies for Pride Month. [...]

Muted displays

Target is again taking a muted approach to Pride Month this year.

In “select stores,” Target is selling a “multi-category collection including home, pets, books, vinyl and adult apparel and accessories” to celebrate Pride, the company said in an email to employees viewed by CNN. Target is selling the full Pride product selection online.

“We are absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone – our team members, our guests, our supply partners, and the more than 2,000 communities we’re proud to serve,” a Target spokesperson said. “As we have for many years, we will continue to mark Pride Month by offering an assortment of celebratory products, hosting internal programming to support our incredible team and sponsoring local events in neighborhoods across the country.”

But Target’s Pride merchandise is limited and displayed less prominently in stores than in previous years, said one Target senior leader who spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Target store employee and customer excitement for Pride Month has dissipated as a result of the company’s shift, according to the senior leader.

“It feels like we have catered to the direction of the administration,” this person said.

Other companies are also dialing back public pronouncements, donations and merchandise in support of Pride Month.

Last year, Kohl’s launched a “Pride capsule collection” of merchandise and donated $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth.

“As we use this month to embrace love in all forms, we simultaneously create more spaces for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to live out loud,” Michelle Banks, Kohl’s-then chief diversity, equity & inclusion officer, said in a news release. (Banks is now Kohl’s chief inclusion and belonging officer.)

Kohl’s has not announced any Pride Month plans this year and did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.

Macy’s last year touted that it hosted a donation campaign for The Trevor Project, spotlighted LGBTQ-owned brands, and set up displays in select Macy’s windows and at local Pride marches nationwide.

Macy’s is supporting Pride events this month in a similar way, including participating in Pride events nationwide and raising money for The Trevor Project. But unlike previous years, the company is not making official announcements about its plans.

Nordstrom, Gap and several other brands that highlighted their Pride Month efforts last year appear not to have repeated them this June. Gap did not respond to CNN’s request for comment about its plans.

Nordstrom did not initially respond to CNN’s requests for comment. On June 2, Nordstrom announced its plans to celebrate Pride Month, including hosting events for employees and launching a collection of Pride-themed products. [...]