Posted on 06/17/2024 4:16:05 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
NEW YORK (AP) — With Pride Month in full gear, U.S. shoppers can find the usual merchandise many stores stock for the June celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and rights. But analysts and advocates say the marketing is toned down compared to previous years, and at some chains, there’s no trace of Pride at all.
The more subdued atmosphere underscores the struggle of many retailers to cater to different groups of customers at a time of extreme cultural divisions. This year’s Pride Month is unfolding amid a sea of legislation and litigation over LGBTQ+ rights, especially the ability of transgender young people to participate in sports or receive gender-affirming care.
Against this backdrop, Target reduced the number of its stores carrying Pride-themed products this year after getting backlash in 2023. Nike, which like Bud Light became the subject of boycott calls last year over its marketing partnership with a transgender influencer, also has pulled back after offering Pride collections since 1999. The athletic brand said it won’t have one this year; rather, it said it’s focusing on programming and ongoing support for the LGBTQ+community.
Some brands and influencers who work with the community report a noticeable decline in corporate partnerships. Rob Smith, founder and chief executive of The Phluid Project, a brand of gender-neutral clothing, cited a 25% drop compared with last June in the number of stores carrying his collection.
“I guess they just decided this year, especially in an election year, with what’s going on, just to play it safe,” Smith said.
But he and other advocates see a silver lining. They think the low-key landscape partially reflects a desire by some companies to move beyond one-month expressions of support toward more enduring acts of allyship, such as regularly featuring LGBTQ+-owned brands and models.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Who the heck buys Nike’s anymore? So 80’s.
I am oissed and am not going to take it anymore. When do us lefthanders get our month?
*What we do in the privacy of our own bedrooms is nobody else’s business*?
Keep it there and stop shoving it in our faces.
Exactly. What they do behind closed doors is between themselves and God.
We don’t even want to hear about their fetishes, let alone celebrate them.
I am pissed and am not going to take it anymore. When do us lefthanders get our month?
One local farm stand was flying the rainbow flag a year ago—but not this year.
My boycott of them is as long as I live.
I have zero tolerance for the parading of perversions.
It’s pretty much Pride Year, every year now.
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