Everybody’s Business

/ /

Disney shareholders vote overwhelmingly to continue in Human Rights Campaign index

,

Disney shareholders have voted overwhelmingly to continue the company’s participation in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, which measures businesses’ support for LGBTQ+ causes and on which Disney has consistently received perfect scores.

Holders of only 1 percent of shares voted in favor of a right-wing group’s proposal that Disney pull out of the index, according to multiple media outlets,meaning that 99 percent supported participation. The vote was taken Thursday. Disney has a perfect score of 100 on this year’s index, which it has since 2007.

The National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project submitted the proposal. The Free Enterprise Project is “the original and premier opponent of the woke takeover of American corporate life,” says a press releasefrom the center.

“Though HRC — which Disney has a paid partnership with — claims the CEI is just a ‘benchmarking tool on corporate policies … pertinent to LGBT employees,’ in reality, it functions like a social credit score for corporations,” the organization said in its statement supporting the resolution. “The threat of a bad score is wielded against corporations to force them to do the political bidding of HRC and others (like GLSEN, the Trevor Project and GLAAD, which Disney also has paid partnerships with) that seek to sow gender confusion in children, encourage irreversible surgical procedures on confused teens, effectively eliminate girls’ and women’s sports and bathrooms and roll back longstanding religious liberties. Receiving a perfect score on the CEI can only mean that Disney espouses and funds those divisive positions. Because, as clearly outlined in the CEI criteria, not advancing those efforts prevents companies from receiving a perfect score, as Disney continuously has.”

“Pushing on children the belief that they can be born in the wrong body, and that such beliefs should be affirmed by minors taking puberty blockers or even undergoing experimental surgeries, sometimes behind the backs of their parents, is bad for business, and you can help Disney get out of that business by voting in favor of our proposal,” the statement continued.

By the way, gender-affirming surgeries are not “experimental,” but they are also almost never performed on minors, and other gender-affirming procedures are not administered behind parents’ backs. And transgender people make up a tiny minority of the U.S. population and of participants in girls’ and women’s sports, which are still going strong. Nor are women’s restrooms or religious liberties threatened.

Disney’s board recommended voting against the proposal, saying, “Given the Company’s existing practices to assess participation in transparency efforts and the Board’s oversight of ESG [environmental, social and governance] reporting, workforce equity matters and human rights policies, we do not believe this proposal would provide additional value to shareholders.”

The HRC Foundation — the educational arm of HRC — praised the vote’s outcome. “This vote gives us a clear statement of values from Disney’s shareholders,” said a statement from Eric Bloem, the foundation’s vice president of corporate citizenship. “They know what we know — that despite all the noise, commitments to inclusion pay figurative dividends and help their literal bottom line. And they’re not alone. Shareholders at companies as diverse as Costco, Apple, John Deere, and others in the past months have resoundingly rejected efforts to roll-back DEI. We know that 93 percent of LGBTQ+ workers believe that scoring 100 on the Corporate Equality Index communicates support of the LGBTQ+ community — those are current and future employees and customers. Disney shareholders recognize this.”

The HRC Foundation noted that overwhelming majorities of corporate executives support diversity and inclusion initiatives and believe they enhance financial performance. Such initiatives also help them attract employees, according to surveys.

Disney has long been a target of the far right because of its support for the LGBTQ+ community. As far back as 1997, the Southern Baptist Convention, a conservative Christian denomination, called for a boycott of the company. Right-wingers objected to a brief scene with gay characters in 2017’s live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. In 2019, One Million Moms urged a boycott of the filmToy Story 4 because it depicted two women dropping off and picking up a child at school.

In 2022 and 2023, Disney opposed the so-called parental rights or “don’t say gay” bill in Florida, where it is the largest employer, and received some backlash from conservative activists and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The company also received some criticism from LGBTQ+ employees and activists, however, who found its opposition too weak or belated. The bill became law but has now been gutted by a court.

/ /

Big sponsors cancel support for Pride parades, but LGBTQ+ groups remain determined

San Francisco Pride Director Suzanne Ford feels both saddened and determined about this year’s plans for the city’s iconic Pride parade.

The longtime LGBTQ organization is dealing with the potential loss of $300,000 in corporate sponsorship for its hugely popular annual parade, funding needed ahead of June’s Pride Month. Multiyear sponsors including Comcast, Anheuser-Busch and Diageo have all backed away from participating.

“We’re very disappointed. We’re hurt. It’s not just a number or transaction,” Ford told USA TODAY shortly after announcing the sponsors’ exit. “We know everybody is facing difficult decisions to make right now. But we’re not going anywhere.”

Comcast and Diageo told USA TODAY Thursday that while those companies are not sponsoring the SF Pride parade, they are supporting other Pride-related events across the city. Anheuser-Busch has not returned USA TODAY’s request for comment.

San Francisco isn’t alone. Kendra Walker, a former president of Pride Houston, said a similar sponsorship trend is occurring for Pride parades and festivals nationwide. The organization currently has a $100,000 deficit for its 47th Annual Houston Pride Festival and Parade, also scheduled for June.

“It’s happening everywhere,” Walker said. “Most of us have some of the same sponsors, and once you started seeing cuts in San Francisco, San Diego and here, it’s like a double-whammy. The reasons become both economic – and political.”

In the Nation’s Capital, organizers of WorldPride 2025, one of the largest LGBTQ+ festivals, said events are expected to go on without a hitch, despite losing a key sponsor, government defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.

The sponsorship shortfalls for nonprofit Pride organizations − which hold events that attract millions of people across America − come amid political DEI backlash. In January, President Donald Trump began issuing executive orders to dismantle DEI programs, prompting companies to end “illegal DEI discrimination” and saying they could be investigated for their initiatives.

“And our country will be woke no longer,” Trump reiterated during an address to a joint session of Congress earlier this month.

None of the businesses USA TODAY reached for comment said they were pulling funding because of the Trump administration’s actions. But Pride Month organizers still feel let down.

“For years, businesses across industries have proudly championed LGBTQ+ rights, workplace diversity, and economic equity – not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it drives innovation, increases the talent pool, and expands the bottom line,” Andrea Abrams, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Defending American Values Coalition, and a member of the American Pride Rises Network, told USA TODAY in a statement Thursday.

“We urge businesses and community leaders to hold the line, reject fear-driven politics meant to divide, and stand up for the values they claim to support,” Abrams said.DEI explained: What is DEI and why is it so divisive? What you need to know.

San Francisco Pride says ‘We’re not victims’

Annually attracting more than a million attendees to its parade and Pride-related events in late June, San Francisco has one of the largest LGBTQ+ gatherings in the nation, Ford said. It’s also an economic driver as Pride week fills restaurants and bars and crowds the streets, bringing an estimated $500 million to city coffers, studies show.

“People travel from all over the world to attend,” said Ford, and planning typically begins a year in advance. “This is for the LBGTQ community, but it belongs to all of San Francisco, and the city cannot afford for us to fail.”

San Francisco Pride has budgeted $3.2 million for this year’s gathering called “Queer Joy is Resistance.” The nonprofit’s sponsorship goal is $2.3 million, but only $1 million has been committed so far, Ford said. The funds offset the free admission.

The funds will also be used to increase security in anticipation of more threats, given the escalating social divisiveness, Ford said.

Ford wished SF Pride could’ve been better prepared for corporate shifts as Trump’s second presidency began.

In another example, Ford announced earlier this month that San Francisco Pride was ending its relationship with Meta, the parent company of Facebook after the social media giant reportedly ended its DEI programs.

But Ford doesn’t want any pity. More sponsors, like the San Francisco International Airport, are on board. Two other companies Ford initially believed were removing their sponsorship, La Crema, a wine company, and Benefit Cosmetics, remain steadfast sponsors, spokespersons for the companies confirmed to USA TODAY.

SF Pride is also seeking additional private donations to cover costs, and it has already received more than $5,000 since word of the sponsorship loss spread, Ford said.

“We’re not victims. It’s not all doom and gloom,” Ford said. “We’re going live up to what we said we’re going to do.”

This also includes celebrating the parade’s 55th anniversary this summer.

“We’re a beacon of hope and love and we’re not going to shirk those responsibilities,” Ford said. “We’re still going to make a huge statement to the rest of the country that we still celebrate our LGBTQ community. We’ll find a way.”

D.C. prepares for World Pride 2025, despite losing key sponsor

Meanwhile, the Washington, D.C.-based Capital Pride Alliance said it plans to commemorate 50 years of celebrations in the nation’s Capital this summer despite “navigating current challenges and many unknowns.”

In a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday, the alliance said Booz Allen Hamilton is the only corporate sponsor that has pulled its backing from the alliance’s nearly monthlong WorldPride 2025 event, which is expected to have more than 3 million attendees globally.

“We are confident, however, that we will have the support necessary to have a successful and safe WorldPride that meets this moment,” Capital Pride’s statement read. “That support includes individuals, families, organizations and businesses from across our community, and corporations that truly celebrate diversity and value equity and inclusion for all.  

“Many in our community are extremely vulnerable right now, and standing up for them, with those who stand with us, in this moment is what we all need,” Capital Pride concluded.

Last month, Booz Allen Hamilton ended its DEI programs, citing President Trump’s executive order pressuring federal suppliers to cancel diversity practices, according to Bloomberg.

Booz Allen Hamilton has not responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment.’A first taste’: Trump DEI war escalates, reshaping diversity in corporate America

Pride Houston says ‘Don’t count us out’

Walker and current Pride Houston Co-President Kerry-Ann Morrison are optimistic they will find the $100,000 sponsorship funding gap.

With annual costs ranging from $500,000 to $800,000, Walker and Morrison say Pride Houston is the largest pride event in Texas. They say the parade and festival are among the largest single-day events in Houston, outside of the popular Houston Rodeo. They estimate more than 850,000 people attend monthlong Pride-related events.

“Last year, we thought we had turned the corner, now there’s this political and financial turmoil, and this year, we’re being hit from different sides,” said Walker, adding a good portion of funds are used for pay for security and entertainment, similar to other organizations.

“We keep hearing the words ‘political climate,’ and that’s unfortunate,” Morrison said. “Who knows what next year will look like?”

In previous years, Walker and Morrison said sponsors wanted their logos wherever they could be seen. But about two years ago, Walker said she noticed that sponsors wanted more strategic logo placement – and some sponsors didn’t even want to be publicly known.

“So fast forward this year, some have outright said they don’t want the backlash or the negative attention,” said Walker, declining to name the sponsors to honor their request. 

Walker said not all supporters are upset seeing some corporate sponsors go. Some have argued that Pride Houston needs to be a more community-driven event.

“Well, this is the best time for the community to step up and fill the gap and show and prove they can take care of its own,” Walker said. “I think we have enough resources.”

Having fewer corporate sponsors also opens the door for local small businesses “to get some shine,” Walker said.

“It’s not June yet, don’t count us out,” Walker concluded. “We’ll come together. We always do.”

/ /

Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels Make LGBTQ History at MSNBC

MSNBC has announced that joining Jacqueline Alemany are Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels , who will co-anchor the network’s newly expanded weekend program, The Weekend, making Capehart and Daniels the first out Black gay men to co-host a cable news program.

Launching in late April, The Weekend will air live from Washington, D.C. from 7 to 10 a.m. ET on Saturdays and Sundays, with Capehart and Daniels bringing their sharp political insights and deep experience covering Washington to the show’s proven panel format.

Capehart, a Pulitzer Prize winner and GLAAD Media Award honoree, has long been a leading voice at MSNBC, bringing audiences thoughtful analysis and historic interviews, including with President Barack Obama.

Beyond television, Capehart serves as Associate Editor at The Washington Postand contributes to PBS’s NewsHour. His forthcoming memoir, Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home, will be published later this year. Capehart lives in Washington, D.C. with his husband.

Daniels, who is the newly-minted MSNBC Senior Washington Correspondent, has quickly become a go-to political analyst and one of the most trusted reporters covering the White House.

Since joining MSNBC in 2021, Daniels has become a regular political analyst, guest host, and trusted voice on the biggest stories out of Washington. He was also recently elected President of the White House Correspondents Association, making history in that role as well.

Prior to joining MSNBC, Daniels served as Chief Playbook Correspondent and White House Correspondent at POLITICO. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his husband.

Together, Capehart and Daniels are making cable news history.

And for LGBTQ people—especially Black LGBTQ viewers—this is more than a milestone. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when newsrooms reflect the communities they serve.

GLAAD celebrates this historic moment and congratulates Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels for breaking barriers, telling our stories, and showing the world what leadership in journalism can look like.

In a statement, GLAAD’s Darian Aaron said: “In a time when critical information reported through the cultural lens of Black journalists is consistently absent in newsrooms across the country and high-profile anchor positions on cable news, the addition of Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels, two out Black journalists as co-anchors of MSNBC’s “The Weekend” is progress worth celebrating and an example for all organizations, media or otherwise. Black and queer people are in all occupations and all areas of the country.”

“Capehart and Daniels will make history, but they will also bear the responsibility of speaking truth to power in the face of a hostile administration, ensuring more voices are brought to the table and must open doors to more journalists from all backgrounds who are as talented but lack access to the same opportunities. The world and our community will be watching,” Aaron added.

/ /

Most Consumers Say Inclusive Marketing is Important

As brands make their decisions to rollback DEI initiatives, and as others maintain or increase diversity efforts, consumers are watching. A new report from Collage – Building Trust in Turbulent Times – examines how Americans are responding. Eighty percent of consumers say trusting a brand is important when making a purchase, and only 40% say brands and companies are trustworthy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Among other aspects, the report finds that:

  • Inclusive marketing is a vital tool for brands. In fact, 80% of Americans say inclusive marketing is equally or more important today compared to 2020. Furthermore, 39% of Americans have purchased from a brand because its advertisement represents diverse people authentically.
  • By 2050, 55% of the American population will be Multicultural. Today, 51% of Gen Z are already Multicultural. And 1 in 3 of Gen Zers identify as LGBTQ+. U.S. buying power by race or ethnicity is in the trillions! If brands can capture the hearts of these groups – the Multicultural, young, LGBTQ – the brands may be able to enjoy these segments as consumers for decades to come.
  • Target is stuck in a repeated, reactionary cycle of dramatic reversals and now the brand is vulnerable to backlash. Consumers want brands to be authentic. Marketing messaging different from corporate policies can alienate suppliers and consumers. Forty-eight percent of Americans do not trust the brands that are involved in social issues but lack internal diversity.
  • In January 2025, Target ended several initiatives focused on support for underrepresented groups; in February 2025, the brand launched a Black History Month collection. A number of consumers did not approve of this series of events.

The full study, available upon request, examines a wide array of other consumer trust components. It explains how brands can build trust, and it takes an in-depth look at Target’s DEI decision compared to Walmart’s.

If you have any questions or interest in interviewing an expert, please let me know.

Thank you for considering,

Quintin

Quintin Simmons

Public Relations & Communications Manager

Collage® | LinkedIn | Twitter

Read more about Collage’s News Coverage & Press Releases.

Collage is certified as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC).

This message (including any attachments) may contain confidential, proprietary, privileged and/or private information. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity designated above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender immediately, and delete the message and any attachments. Any disclosure, reproduction, distribution or other use of this message or any attachments by an individual or entity other than the intended recipient is prohibited.

/ /

Amazon Begins Streaming Trump’s “The Apprentice”

NBC News reports:

Amazon has announced it will begin streaming “The Apprentice” — the reality TV show famous for boosting Donald Trump’s profile — on its Prime Video service on Monday.

It’s the first time the show will be available on a streaming service, and the move highlights the close link between Trump’s time as a reality TV personality and his being elected president twice. The show’s executive producer, Mark Burnett, remains one of his closest allies.

Burnett, the British producer behind “The Apprentice,” as well as “Survivor” and “Shark Tank,” was appointed special envoy to the United Kingdom in December. “‘The Apprentice’ is one of the best shows that I ever produced. The charismatic onscreen presence of President Donald J. Trump made it a bona fide hit!” Burnett said in a press release.

Read the full article. Last month Amazon announced a Melania Trump documentary that will reportedly pay her at least $28 million.

/ /

Lawsuit accusing Amazon of anti-transgender workplace discrimination may proceed, federal judge rules

,

Amazon is set to answer explosive claims of severe harassment and discrimination after a judge ruled that an amended lawsuit from a transgenderformer employee could proceed. The case, brought by Ximena Navarrete, a Mexican transgender woman, alleges that she endured relentless abuse while working as a Prime Now shopper in Whole Foods stores across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Navarrete’s lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, accuses Amazon of allowing an unchecked workplace culture of transphobia, racism, and sexual harassment. The amended complaint, which the court recently accepted in part, refines the legal claims and expands on the alleged violations, citing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and the D.C. Human Rights Act.

Navarrete initially represented herself in the legal proceedings, but after securing attorneys from Alan Lescht and Associates, the complaint was significantly restructured. “Ximena filed her original complaint pro se. She had some legal help, but she was largely doing this without representation,” her attorney, Ari Wilkenfeld, told The Advocate in an interview. “Her original complaint had some fairly significant flaws that had legal effect. What we did was ask the court for permission to amend the complaint to assert all the laws that we believe have been violated.”

The updated complaint details a harrowing workplace environment where Navarrete was allegedly subjected to daily death threats, physical and sexual assault, and repeated refusals to acknowledge her gender identity. Supervisors and coworkers allegedly called her by her former name, physically dragged her from stores, and engaged in persistent verbal abuse. The lawsuit claims Amazon managers ignored her repeated pleas for help and ultimately fired her after she reported the discrimination.

Despite Amazon’s objections, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that several of Navarrete’s claims could proceed, including allegations of a hostile work environment and retaliatory termination. The ruling also means Amazon must now formally respond to the allegations, marking a significant step forward in the case, Wilkenfeld said.

He also said that the case underscores a broader issue of workplace discrimination against transgender people, particularly in blue-collar and retail environments. “This kind of discrimination is particularly obscene,” Wilkenfeld said. “People feel empowered to discriminate against trans people in ways they wouldn’t dream of doing to a racial minority or any other kind of minority. They feel empowered to do whatever strikes them as appropriate.”

Since leaving Amazon, Navarrete has continued to struggle with workplace discrimination, her attorneys say, including a harrowing attack by a former employer who allegedly threw acid in her face after learning she was transgender.

While the case still has a long road ahead, her legal team sees it as an opportunity to send a message to other transgender people in distress. “We want to litigate these cases,” Wilkenfeld said. “The laws are here to protect you.”

Amazon has not yet publicly responded to the amended complaint. The Advocate contacted an attorney representing Amazon but did not immediately hear back.

/ /

A disabled college student was bullied for posting about his transition. Meta removed his account

,

A disabled college student is speaking out after conservative figures online bullied and mass reported him when he posted about his gender transition. 

Micah Leroy, who ran the account known as “Disabled Trans Boy” on Instagram, became the subject of a right-wing hate campaign after he posted a video celebrating his double mastectomy, also know as top surgery. The 19-year-old has cerebral palsy, a group of neurological disorders that affect body movement and muscle coordination, which is the most common lifelong physical disability according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. 

“It is important to note that nowhere in this definition does it imply that cerebral palsy negatively impacts an individual’s ability to comprehend the world, make autonomous decisions or understand the concepts of gender and sex,” Leroy told MPR News. 

Leroy is a student at the University of Minnesota focusing on disability studies, LGBTQ+ studies and political science. He said that he hopes to one day hold public office, whether in the state legislature or in Congress.

Leroy uses a wheelchair as well as an Eyegaze communication device, though he prefers to communicate with his voice, with the help of his personal care assistants. Leroy, who came out as transgender at the age of 14, emphasized to the outlet that he was the one who sought out and scheduled his medical appointments and took all the steps to legally change his name and gender. 

Leroy’s video about his transition went viral, resulting in negative attention from conservative figures such as failed college athlete Riley Gaines, who lied and said Leroy is “non-verbal” while implying doctors performed the surgery without his consent. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the life-saving procedure performed on a legal adult “criminal.”

Conservatives mass-reported the video, causing it to be removed by Meta, which suspended Leroy’s Facebook and permanently removed his Instagram account for supposedly breaking the platforms’ “Community Standards on child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity.” 

Leroy, who repeated that “I am the one who is posting and I’m over 18,” said that Meta still rejected his appeals, while allowing the abusive comments and messages he received to remain. Still, he said that he hasn’t been deterred from speaking out. 

“Even with all the hate this has stirred up, I do believe that any publicity is good publicity in furthering my goals,” Leroy continued. “This experience has only made me want to speak out more about disabled and trans issues as the negative responses I got have shown a side of the world that is intolerant and discriminatory based on what they perceive others can and cannot do.”

/ /

GOOD ON THEM: Apple, Costco stand behind DEI programs

,

At a time when many businesses are abandoning their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, Apple and Costco are standing behind theirs.

Both are encouraging shareholders to vote against resolutions asking them to reevaluate their commitment to DEI. A shareholder resolution is a means by which those who hold stock in a company can seek to influence the company’s policies. Most are nonbinding and most do not receive a majority vote, as the bulk of shareholders usually vote among company lines. But if a resolution receives even 10 percent support, it’s hard for the company to ignore.

The Apple and Costco resolutions were both submitted by National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank. Both cite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, holding that race-based affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional. The Apple resolution also cites the high court’s 2024 ruling in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, which found that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating in transfer decisions even if the transfer didn’t cause great disadvantage.

The resolutions say that DEI programs pose financial and reputational risks to companies, noting that a white employee sued Starbucks for racial discrimination and won $25 million. DEI programs vary from company to company, but their generally promote inclusive practices for groups that have historically suffered discrimination, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and women.

“With 310,000 employees, Costco likely has at least 200,000 employees who are potentially victims of this type of illegal discrimination because they are white, Asian, male or straight,” the resolution to the retailing giant states. “Accordingly, even if only a fraction of those employees were to file suit, and only some of those prove successful, the cost to Costco could be tens of billions of dollars.” The Apple resolution doesn’t mention those groups, but it does go into the potential cost of lawsuits.

Apple, in its proxy statement (a document sent to shareholders ahead of the annual meeting), recommends a vote against the resolution because “the proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program and the proposal inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies; and our Board and management maintain active oversight of legal and regulatory risks and compliance for our global business.”

“Apple is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, or promoting on any basis protected by law,” the statement continues. “Apple seeks to operate in compliance with applicable non-discrimination laws, both in the United States and in the many other jurisdictions in which we operate, and in that regard monitors and evolves its practices, policies, and goals as appropriate to address compliance risks. The proposal inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Company’s programs and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance.”

Apple has a supplier diversity program, set up in 1993, which works with groups such as the National Minority Supplier Development Council and National Veterans Business Development Council, CNN reports. It also has a vice president of inclusion and diversity, a position established in 2017, and 67 employee groups called diversity network associations. The first of these dates from 1986. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, is gay (although he did donate personal funds, not company ones, to anti-LGBTQ+ President-elect Donald Trump’sinauguration).

“We are simply asking for a consideration,” Stefan Padfield, executive director of the NCPPR’s Free Enterprise Project, told CNN. “The proposal, if approved, would not automatically result in the abolishment of DEI.”

Costco’s directors, however, say this is the ultimate goal of such resolutions. “The proponent professes concern about legal and financial risks to the Company and its shareholders associated with the diversity initiatives,” the proxy statement reads. “The supporting statement demonstrates that it is the proponent and others that are responsible for inflicting burdens on companies with their challenges to longstanding diversity programs. The proponent’s broader agenda is not reducing risk for the Company but abolition of diversity initiatives.”

The NCPPR published a document called “Balancing the Boardroom” in 2022, Costco notes. It said CEOs and other corporate executives who are “woke” and “hard-left” are “inimical to the Republic and its blessings of liberty” and “committed to critical race theory and the socialist foundations of woke” or “shameless monsters who are willing to sacrifice our future for their comforts.”

“Our efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion remind and reinforce with everyone at our Company the importance of creating opportunities for all,” Costco’s statement says. “We believe that these efforts enhance our capacity to attract and retain employees who will help our business succeed. This capacity is critical because we owe our success to our now over 300,000 employees around the globe. … We believe that our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are legally appropriate, and nothing in the proposal demonstrates otherwise.”

Costco’s annual shareholder meeting will be held January 23. Apple’s will be held February 25.

/ /

Google erases Pride Month from Calendar app

,

The Google Calendar app has stopped mentioning various cultural observances, like LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Indigenous Peoples Month. 

The company said that it wasn’t “sustainable” to keep mentioning these observances, but commenters accused Google of removing them in response to the recent right-wing pressure campaign against “diversity” efforts.

“Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world,” Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld wrote in a statement to The Verge. “We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable.”

Veld said that, in mid-2024, Google returned to showing only public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, while allowing users to manually add other important observances to their own personal calendars.

Commenters on a Google support forum accused the tech giant of “kissing [President Donald Trump’s] butt,” and another called the removals an “embarrassing … example of the fast descent into fascism.” 

“They are trying to erase anyone who isn’t a cis white male,” another commenter added.

The commenters were likely referring to Trump’s recent crusade against all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently issued a memo instructing the Department of Justice to investigate companies with DEI initiatives “to end illegal discrimination and preferences.”

Labor law attorney Mark S. Spring noted that Bondi stated that “educational, cultural, or historical observances such as Black History Month … or similar events that celebrate diversity, recognize historical contributions, and promote awareness without engaging in exclusion or discrimination are permissible” under Bondi’s order.

Google recently removed mentions of its past DEI commitments from its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission and will end its goal of hiring applicants from historically underrepresented backgrounds, MSNBC reported. 

Google is just one of numerous companies that have recently ended their DEI efforts, though data shows that consumers increasingly support companies that keep their DEI commitments.

/ /

Target dropped DEI, so Minnesota’s largest Pride festival dropped Target’s sponsorship — and raised even more

,

After Target made the decision to drop diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Minnesota’s largest Pride festival decided to drop them as a sponsor. Now, Twin Cities Pride has more funding than they started with.

Target issued a memo on Friday announcing the end of its three-year DEI goals, including its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) program and “all external diversity-focused survey’s including HRC’s Corporate Equality index.” The Human Rights Campaign effort, which provides benchmarks on corporate policies relevant to LGBTQ+ employees, previously gave Target a score of 100 percent, dubbing the company a “Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.”

In response, the largest Pride organization in Minnesota and the largest free Pride celebration in the United States, Twin Cities Pride, announced this week that it would be dropping Target as a sponsor for its 2025 events. The company had initially pledged $50,000, and had been involved in Pride celebrations for around two decades. 

TCP executive director Andi Otto tells The Advocate that Target executives called him before their announcement, as they “wanted me to hear it from them before it had hit mainstream media.” The company insisted that “they were still very much committed to being at Pride and very much committed to sponsoring and continuing to support our year-round programming.” 

Target was not backing down on its $50,000 pledge, but Otto says that TCP and their allies still saw the move as a betrayal, as the company is “taking away safety for the community not only in their employees, but in their suppliers.” As the community was “looking to us to hold them accountable,” TCP’s board made the decision to remove Target as a sponsor.

“This isn’t about the money,” Otto says. “Because if the money wasn’t there, would we even be questioning this decision? The answer is no. The reality of it is, is that it’s the right thing to do for our community.”

The end of DEI programs and LGBTQ+ inclusivity initiatives marks a significant shift for the Minnesota-based company, which once withstood protests from hate groups over its inclusive bathroom policies and Pride displays. However, the change was not sudden, as Target pulled some of its Pride Month merchandisein 2023 amid threats and violent protests in stores.

Target is among over a dozen major companies that have ended their DEI initiatives in the past year. Meta announced the end of its DEI programs by citing the shifting “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States.” McDonald’s also cited the Supreme Court decision against affirmative action, as well as changes among “other companies.”

Target executives said in their public statement and in private statements to Otto that the decision to end DEI programs was “due to changes in the landscape” — a nod to the Trump Administration, which has taken a hard stance against DEI in its first weeks by signing executive orders firing government employees and rescinding 1960s civil rights protections. 

As Target had long stood by DEI and LGBTQ+ initiatives when it was politically beneficial, Otto says that the company’s reason for ending them “just didn’t sit right with us.”

“A lot of companies that are overturning [DEI] are doing it out of fear,” Otto says. “They look ahead and say, ‘This is what the next four years is going to be like.’ If we’re standing up for the diversity and inclusion, then we’re going to be, ironically, in the minority.”

“It’s crazy when you truly think about it — standing up for a minority group of folks, but when the other shoe drops, you don’t actually want to be part of that group,” he adds.

Companies’ willingness to abandon the LGBTQ+ community contributes to the long-standing debate among activists over “Rainbow Capitalism,” which refers to the trend of companies marketing to or profiting off the queer community without meaningfully supporting them. Examples include Disney using a rainbow logo while cancelling or censoring LGBTQ+ projects, Netflix claiming to support LGBTQ+ people while hosting Dave Chapelle’s harmful jokes about transgenderpeople, or Target scaling back Pride displays after pressure from extremists despite decades of precedent. 

“I get a lot of push back about why we have sponsors at Pride. Pride was a protest, et cetera. But those sponsors allow me to do things,” Otto says, adding, “I get to pay every performer on the stage. I get to have a rainbow wardrobe, free personal care items, free clothing. We fed 300 people a holiday meal for free. … It allows us to have smaller costs for small businesses and LGBTQ and BIPOC businesses at our festival.”

While Otto did not believe it would be too challenging to find a replacement for Target, he “did not expect to be paid forward by the community.” TCP made the money back in less than 24 hours, raising nearly $78,000 just from individual donors as of Wednesday morning. Other organizations offering grants or sponsorships have brought that total to well over $100,000 — more than twice what Target promised. 

“Everybody’s talking about eggs at this point. I know people are watching their money very closely, and I don’t blame them. Me as an individual, I’m doing the same thing,” Otto says. “So, I didn’t expect this outcome. It’s inspiring.”

Otto, who has heard from many community members that have decided to no longer shop at companies ditching DEI, emphasizes that “I’m not asking you to boycott Target — I’m asking you to make the best decision for your family.” Still, he hopes “companies see this and realize that this is going to cause people to really start selecting where they’re gonna shop.”

“I won’t close the door on Target. I want them to show their true colors, whatever that looks like in their world,” Otto says. “And my hope is that in 2026, they can come back. They can be loud, they can be proud of what they’ve done with their company, and we can move forward. But I need to see that beforehand.”

1 2 3 4›»