If you’ve noticed fewer rainbow-themed logos this June, it’s not just your based algorithm—companies are intentionally scaling back their LGBTQ+ Pride Month branding. For some time, it’s been clear that the rainbow wash was beginning to fade. Now, more than ever, Americans appear to be over the rainbow, and the shift is becoming increasingly visible.
According to the Pride Pulse Poll from Gravity Research, 39% of companies plan to reduce their Pride-related engagement in 2025, and none reported plans to increase it. The shift is attributed primarily to political and cultural pressures: 61% of executives said the Trump administration was a major factor, with conservative activists and GOP policymakers close behind. The poll also noted that employee pressure, once a leading factor in pushing Pride initiatives, has diminished.
Major companies that previously made prominent displays of support during Pride Month are now scaling down or pulling out altogether. According to The Western Journal, some of the companies include:
- Anheuser-Busch has ended its decades-long sponsorship of PrideFest in St. Louis, following previous backlash over its LGBTQ+ marketing campaigns.
- BMW broke from tradition and declined to update its logo with rainbow colours in 2025.
- Cisco, a leading tech company, also opted out of Pride branding this year.
- A dozen NFL teams refrained from posting about Pride Month on social media.
- Other corporations returned to sponsorship roles but requested anonymity, reportedly out of concern for political and public backlash.
Consequently, the financial impact on Pride organisations has been substantial. Reports indicate many of the United States’ most high-profile Pride events are facing serious budget shortfalls:
- San Francisco Pride: $200,000 deficit.
- KC Pride (Kansas City, MO): Lost half of its annual budget, also $200,000.
- NYC Pride: Now attempting to raise $750,000 to stay afloat.
- WorldPride D.C.: Lost $260,000 in sponsorships.
- Long Beach Pride (California): Contributions down 40%.
- Omaha Pride (Nebraska) and Wynwood Pride (Florida): Report sponsorship losses of 50%.
- Hampton Roads Pride (Virginia): Cut $80,000 from its 2025 budget, roughly 20% of prior spending.
Pride organisers nationwide are facing similar shortfalls, a marked change from the past decade when corporate support increased annually.
Many have linked the downturn in support, not only to Trump’s policies regarding transgender ideology, in particular, but to a broader rainbow fatigue among the public. What’s likely is that the Trump administration’s stance has emboldened Americans to voice the opinions they previously self-censored. If you want to gauge how the public really feels, just look at the mocking reactions on social media whenever major companies switch to rainbow-themed logos in June.
We’ve long argued that many brands have been engaging in what’s known as “Rainbow Capitalism”—superficial displays of support during Pride Month meant to position themselves as champions of social causes. The selective withdrawal now taking place, especially as political and cultural winds shift, only demonstrates how shallow the whole thing was from the get-go. And that’s to say nothing about their reluctance to campaign in countries where these ideas lack acceptance.
Corporations were quick to fly the rainbow flag when it was fashionable and applauded, but just as quick to retreat once it stopped being profitable. In truth, it was only ever about the bottom line. So the next time a company hoists the colours of some social trend, remember: the only colour that truly matters to them is green.
