Companies Scale Back Pride Month After Last Year’s Public Response Cost Them Millions

Starbucks

June 1 will mark the start of “Pride” month, in which advocates of LGBTQIA+ causes celebrate that movement. In recent years, June has seen major corporate chains feature an array of “Pride”-themed merchandise and decorations, though some offerings have prompted considerable backlash from a non-receptive — even hostile public — in recent years.

2023 saw major retailers such as Target become the subject of boycotts over more controversial products marketed for children. Other companies, such as Anheuser-Busch came under scrutiny over marketing campaigns that failed to resonate with their traditional clientele.

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Bud Light Sponsoring ‘All Ages’ Drag Queen Pride Party

Bud Light is sponsoring an all-ages Pride event and after-party featuring drag queens in Flagstaff, Arizona, according to advertisements.

The June 17 after-party features several famous drag queens and will take place after Flagstaff’s 27th annual Pride in the Pines, and both events list Bud Light as a sponsor. The after-party is open to “all ages,” and participants under 16 years old require a guardian to attend, according to an online flyer.

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‘You Couldn’t Cut It:’ DeSantis Team Launches Beer Ad Spoof Mocking Men Competing in Women’s Sports

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched a spoof beer advertisement on Monday night mocking male athletes who compete in women’s sports.

The advertisement, posted on the DeSantis War Room Twitter account, is a spin-off of the popular Bud Light commercial “Real Men of Genius” that aired in the early 2000s, and comes on the heels of a conservative-led boycott of the beer company after it revealed its partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. The ad features transgender athletes including former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas and mockingly congratulates them on their performances in the women’s division, according to the video.

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