It’s Pride Month — though Charlotte’s Pride celebration won’t happen until August. But this year, Charlotte Pride says some corporate sponsors are pulling back — either scaling down support, asking not to have their logos displayed or going silent altogether.
Mecklenburg County recently stepped in with $125,000 to help the organization, but what does this moment say about where things stand for LGBTQ visibility in the South — and for Charlotte Pride itself?
Charlotte Pride's managing director, Meredith Thompson, spoke with WFAE's Nick de la Canal about the extent of this corporate pullback.
Meredith Thompson: It's really nuanced. So we're seeing sponsors who are still supporting. Some are supporting other programs other than our festival and parade — we have an annual film festival, a scholarship and internship program, a job fair — so some of them are pivoting to those kinds of programs. And then others are supporting, but not wanting their logos visible.
Nick de la Canal: Are you able to share some examples?
Thompson: So typically, the folks that I'm meeting with, they may be part of our LGBTQ community. They're part of a business resource group or an employee resource network, and they may be navigating budget cuts. They may be navigating the political landscape that's happening right now. They may be concerned about retaliation politically. So there's no one that I really want to call out as a bad guy.
De la Canal: Do you know why some of these companies are requesting to have their logos not seen at the parade or festival? Have you received any direct explanations?
Thompson: That is not something that they always share the details of with me. They'll say that it's like a change in focus in their marketing approach, or they may worry about, you know, a very vocal minority on social media, and just not want to deal with it.
De la Canal: So last week, Mecklenburg County Commission stepped in with $125,000 in public funding for Charlotte Pride. What does that support allow you to do and how far does it go in filling the gap?
Thompson: So this was something that we needed before this political reality came to bear, due to the fact that we are now the city's largest event in uptown, due to the fact that we want to keep it free.
I mean, it's a quarter million people coming in over the two days of that event — infrastructure, security, city services — it's a lot of work. It costs a lot of money to put this on, but as I said, it's an easy return on investment.
De la Canal: And there was some pushback from one commissioner, Laura Meier, who said now wasn't the time to spend public money on a parade. What would you say to people who share that view or who don't understand why Pride needs public support?
Thompson: Yeah, so I have had some wonderful conversations with Laura Meier and I told her — I said, 'I know the county is having to make really difficult choices right now,' but I just reiterated the economic impact of this event and said, 'Look, you're going to get this back.'
And I can understand why someone would say, 'Why are we paying for a parade?' But it's not about that. It's about a quarter million people coming into the city, and it's about supporting arts and culture. It's about making Charlotte an exciting place to live, work and to visit.
De la Canal: So as we head into this year's Charlotte Pride celebration, which again is in August, how are you thinking about this moment? Is this pullback from corporations a setback, or something else?
Thompson: Yes, it is a setback and it is a challenge. It is discouraging, it's disappointing. If collectively, corporate America would say, 'You know what? It has always benefited us, within our employee networks and externally, to support Pride, to support marginalized communities, to support the arts,' and if they would just stick to that, I think it would have a lot of power over what is happening politically.
