With the arrival of Pride Month 2023, several companies and brands expressed their support towards the LGBTQIA+ community; however, not all have received reciprocal support.
Here, we will be listing those companies who pulled back from pride campaigns in June after a backlash in the previous year’s Pride month. So, without further ado, let’s get right into the list.
9. The North Face
Conservatives are urging individuals to boycott The North Face due to the brand’s recent promotion for Pride Month, which includes featuring a drag queen in May 2023.
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To show its support for LGBTQ+ youth and their nature-based organization, The North Face generously donated $100K in funds.
Unlike in May 2023, when it shared its Summer of Pride posts despite receiving backlash from viewers, we are not sure what The North Face will do about Pride Month this year.
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8. Lego
Lego received criticism for its A-Z of Awesome initiative after it declared it as a way to honor the LGBTQIA+ group with its iconic building blocks.
It led some people to consider boycotting Lego.
Even though the toy maker made several posts in June 2022 regarding Pride Month, they have not yet posted anything for Pride Month 2023’s celebration.
In 2022, the LEGO Group announced its campaign for Pride Month to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ identities and stories.
The topic has become more politicized lately, with conservative individuals opposing companies that endorse LGBTQ+ rights.
Certain campaigns by other companies supporting the community have attracted controversy, inadvertently putting LEGO under scrutiny as well.
7. Miller Lite Stays Quite At Pride Month 2023
Miller Lite marked the history of beers & queers on Twitter and Instagram in 2022 but has not posted any LGBTQ+ content in 2023. In fact, there have been no brand posts since May 14th, 2023.
6. X-Box
Xbox was criticized for removing its LGBTQ+ Pride symbol within the first four days of Pride Month, which resulted in a strong backlash.
Xbox removes their LGBTQ+ Pride logo 4 days into Pride Month pic.twitter.com/kSIVgJmFlF
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 4, 2023
Furthermore, there hasn’t been any explanation provided by the company regarding their actions.
5. Target
Target received criticism for its LGBTQ+ Pride collection that included clothes designed for kids, causing public outrage.
As a result, Target‘s management decided to remove some items from the product line due to threats against their personnel and, in particular, those who have been subjected to aggressive behavior.
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4. Bud Light
Since April, Bud Light has been facing a persistent boycott due to its decision to send Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, a commemorative can in honor of her first year as a woman.
As a result, sales revenue decreased by 24.3 percent during the four weeks leading up to May 20th, 2023.
However, Anheuser-Busch‘s CEO dismissed the impact on their brand’s success, and the company has not made any further social media posts since April 14th, 2023.
3. Adidas
Adidas received criticism for collaborating with an LGBTQ+ model to promote its Pride swimsuit, which has the message Love United.
In a statement issued together with Rich Mnisi, who designed the swimwear, they claimed that it represents advocating for and accepting oneself as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
2. Kohl‘s
Kohl’s received a boycott call after selling LGBTQ+ clothing for kids. It has not replied to the criticism yet.
Although Kohl’s made its Pride march involvement public on June 6th last year, this year, it posted a stronger together message on June 1st, 2023 via Instagram stories.
Activists who are against same-sex rights have urged people to boycott retail giant Kohl’s through social media platforms because of their new product line showcasing LGBTQ+ branded clothes designed specifically for children in honor of Pride month.
The store is under fire due to its transgender-inclusive garments, such as the Baby Sonoma Bodysuit displaying pride flags and a t-shirt collection aimed towards little ones with rainbow colors.
However, many users fought back online, criticizing those boycotting, calling out their prejudices, and uttering homophobia accusations amid this controversy.
1. PetSmart
PetSmart is now among the most recent brands that are being urged to be boycotted by conservative individuals due to its collection of LGBTQ+ pride items.
This controversy arises from the fact that some conservatives express their dissatisfaction with companies offering merchandise related to causes that seem inconsistent with their convictions.
PetSmart sparked a debate when it revealed its range of Pride-themed pet products catered towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Though the company didn’t post on June 1st, 2022, it took to Instagram the following day, where it expressed its belief that everyone deserves love without exceptions.
On June 1st, 2023, PetSmart shared messages in celebration of Pride Month on Facebook and Instagram.
They displayed images from a photoshoot featuring their inclusive line and proudly announced having donated $200K to GLSEN, an organization committed to cultivating tolerant educational settings for all students.
So, whatever may be the reasons behind the companies’ backlash or staying quiet, we hope that in the future, every brand and company would be more inclusive towards everyone.
