Companies continue to support Pride in spite of boycotts and other threats

 According to The Associated Press, boycotts and other attacks on companies which sell Pride merchandise has caught many by surprised and has made things a big uneasy for them. However, they are still going to support Pride

Many big companies, including Target and Bud Light's parent, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them. Target and Bud Light recently came under fire for their efforts to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community, only to come under more fire when they tried to backpedal. 

 But even as they battle the negative publicity, Target and Bud Light haven’t pulled away from this year’s Pride celebrations. Target is a platinum sponsor of NYC Pride, which requires a $175,000 donation. And Bud Light’s parent Anheuser-Busch is a sponsor of Pride celebrations in Chicago, San Francisco, Charlotte and elsewhere. 

Many other big companies are sticking to their sponsorships as well, including PepsiCo, Starbucks, General Motors and Jeep parent Stellantis — all of which said they have been supporting Pride events for decades and aren’t hesitating to back them again this year. 

 As the article points out, this continued support has come with a price. Social media campaigns are a part of the reason for the attack on these companies and Pride in general. These campaigns, some amplifying false tropes of LGBTQ molesting kids, have increased.

 A majority of negative social media posts about Pride this year are attacking companies for being “woke” and accusing them of sexualizing or grooming children, says RILA Global Consulting, which tracks more than 100 million websites and social media pages per day. That’s an abrupt change from last year, when a majority of negative social media posts were focused on brands being “inauthentic” and not truly supporting the LGBTQ population even as they expanded their offerings. In May and June of 2022, there were fewer than 400 posts calling for Pride-related boycotts, RILA said. This year, in May alone there were more than 15,000.

 However, what it may simply come down to is the power of the purse. 

 InterPride, which represents more than 375 Pride organizations globally, said 40% have reported their sponsorship dollars are up 20% or more this year. The buying power of the LGBTQ+ community is likely too big for companies to ignore. LGBT Capital, a U.K.-based investment company, estimates the U.S. has more than 17 million LGBTQ+ people with more than $1 trillion in spending power. 

 “For every one customer knocking the display over, there are 10 who love it, and they are going to vote with their feet,” said Allen Adamson, co-founder and managing partner of marketing firm Metaforce.

We've got money and the companies want it. It sounds like a predatory relationship, but I have no problem with it.  I get that some might find this tacky, but welcome to reality.  It's not right that we have to fight so hard for the right to live in peace. And we want people and companies to make decisions on the grounds that they are the right things to do. But sometimes, there is nothing wrong with using what you have to get what you need.

And what we have here is the power of the LGBTQ dollar. 

'Idaho, Nebraska sued over gender-affirming care bans' & other Mon midday news briefs

Two lawsuits needing to happen:

 ACLU sues Idaho for “unprecedented” gender-affirming care ban 

 Nebraska sued over trans health care ban because it violates state ban on multi-issue bills 

 Transgender adults in Florida `blindsided’ that new law also limits their access to health care - Meanwhile, do NOT leave Florida out.

Pride 30: Drag performers who made 'herstory' - Respect the Queens.

Utah School District Removed the Bible, Now It Might Remove Book of Mormon​ - When your book ban continues to backfire. 

Trans Woman Inmate Reaches Landmark Settlement with Minnesota Prison System - And the settlement "guarantees appropriate housing and treatment for all trans inmates in the state." 

Top Ugandan official accused Western nations of “blackmail” over brutal “Kill the Gays” Act - Oh you poor thing.

The grift is real - Fox News spreads lies about LGBTQ people while simultaneously hosting a webpage which celebrates Pride Month

 

It's all a grift. Fox News spreads lies about LGBTQ people while simultaneously hosting a webpage which celebrates Pride Month.

We are in an age in which people stoke things up for profit. They call it creating a debate, but it's all about nurturing the anger and stoking the prejudice until it reaps money and fame.

No entity is better at this than Fox News:

Fox News hosts and guests have repeatedly peddled false claims about Target selling "tuck-friendly" or "tuck-'em" swimsuits for children as part of its Pride Month collection, fueling right-wing viewers and activists to wage a war on companies that are supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Despite the story being debunked by the Associated Press, such claims have emerged as part of a more extensive campaign against national brands that support Pride Month and promote efforts encouraging diversity and inclusion.

 "This is just one side of this extremist playbook," Eric Bloem, Human Rights Campaign senior director of programs and corporate advocacy, told Salon. "As we enter Pride Month this year, it has been the most historic anti-LGBTQ+ legislative year. We've had over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ pieces of legislation across different states across the country – most of them targeting the trans community."

 . . .Several of the claims being pushed out by Fox hosts lack evidence, Media Matters pointed out in its report. Host Rachel Campos-Duffy has called on other Target brands to speak out against the store, suggesting that it's their moral obligation to publicly call out the retail giant. 

"No one doubts that Chip and Joanna are good people, kind, moral, and aligned with American values, but if I had a line at a company, and my name was on it, and that brand partnered with a trans satanist that makes tuck-'em bikinis for kids, I would feel compelled to speak up," Campos-Duffy said. "Now, maybe they're raising questions internally — of course, that's possible — but why aren't they doing so publicly?"

 But Target has only been selling tuck-friendly swimsuits made for adults and not for kids as false rumors have claimed. Even after the AP debunked these falsehoods, Fox hosts have continued to push out baseless claims. Failed Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon appeared on Primetime and expressed her resentment towards Target. 

 The grand irony - and probably the most disgusting part of it all - is while Fox News amplifies false stories against the LGBTQ community, the network hosts a webpage which celebrates Pride Month. The webpage spotlights several prominent LGBTQ people, including trans child Ryland Whittington and his family. 

The webpage is currently active, including the video of the Whittington family, in spite of how Fox News publishes articles and television segments filled with dog whistles about gender-affirming healthcare in relation to trans children.

The grift is strong. And it is nasty.

Tennessee drag show ban struck down by federal judge

Many expected that this would happen. 

All of that posturing. All of the time they spent justifying the law. And it blows up in their faces. Life is good. Happy Pride, y'all.

A federal judge says Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law designed to place strict limits on drag shows is unconstitutional. In a 70-page ruling handed down late Friday night, U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker wrote that the law was both “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad." He also added that the statute encouraged “discriminatory enforcement.” 

 “There is no question that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. But there is a difference between material that is ‘obscene’ in the vernacular, and material that is ‘obscene’ under the law,” stated Parker, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump. 

“Simply put, no majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit — but not obscene — speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech.” The Memphis-based Friends of George’s filed the complaint in March, saying the law would negatively impact them because they produce “drag-centric performances, comedy sketches, and plays” with no age restrictions. 

 Chris Geidner, who covers court issues, said that the drag ban lost on all fronts. He also said: 

Parker did not shy away from the underlying issues, either. “The word ‘drag’ never appears in the text of the AEA,” Parker wrote. “But the Court cannot escape that ‘drag’ was the one common thread in all three specific examples of conduct that was considered ‘harmful to minors,’ in the legislative transcript.” 

 After detailing that legislative history, as shown in four transcripts reviewed by the court, Parker found that “the legislative transcript strongly suggests that the AEA was passed for an impermissible purpose.” 

 That “impermissible purpose,” Parker found, was “chilling constitutionally-protected speech.” 

 In describing the concerns surrounding potential enforcement of the law, Parker seemed particularly well-attuned to the fears expressed by the plaintiffs in the case and others, writing, “The chance that an officer could abuse th[e] wide discretion [given for enforcing obscenity laws] is troubling given an art form like drag that some would say purposefully challenges the limits of society’s accepted norms.”

The ruling sends a direct message to all of those feeding off of hysteria about drag queens. We have now entered the phase in which those who spread and entertained the lie that drag queens are 'grooming' kids are going to have to defend their mess in a court of law. And under oath.

They've f@cked around for a long while. Now it's time for them to find out.

Right-wing pundit freakout about LGBTQ greeting cards prove boycotts are more about bigotry than protecting kids

 

Far right pundits and activists will have you to believe that their present attacks on the LGBTQ community and companies which sell Pride merchandise is all about protecting kids.  However, thanks to right-wing pundit Alison Steinberg acting like a fool in Target via this video below, we are shown what they are actually attempting to accomplish.  The recent anti-transgender legislation and attacks are merely the gateway for the bigots to come after us all.  

Steinberg begins channeling lies about Pride swimwear, but she really blows a gasket over Target's greeting cards section. The fact that greeting cards exist for LGBTQ marriages and aspiring  parents really offends her.

Thank you  Alison for demonstrating that none of this is about protecting kids. It's all about bigotry

OAN anchor Alison Steinberg flips out over Target’s pride section and inclusive greeting cards. pic.twitter.com/zComMCLiPT

— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) May 22, 2023

'Montana Library cancels trans speaker for fear of punishment under anti-drag law' & other Fri midday news briefs

Montana Library Cancels Trans Speaker for Fear of Punishment Under Anti-Drag Law​ -Folks need to start listening to trans activists. They WARNED everyone that this would happen.

'Backlash to the backlash' is seeing reddest parts of Florida rise against DeSantis' right-wing crusade: columnist - People are getting tired of the far-right attack on teachers and books.

Ben & Jerry’s cuts ties with Twitter due to rise in hate speech and ‘dangerous’ Elon Musk - Ben & Jerry's has always been a wonderful company. 

Most Americans say companies should voice public support for LGBTQ community: survey - Yep.

Walmart not changing Pride merchandise in spite of Target backlash

Walmart has a message for those pushing boycotts against stores and companies which sell Pride merchandise - they aren't bucking down to any pressure.

Walmart is standing firm on its Pride Month merchandise following Target's decision to pull its collection from some stores after receiving threats. Walmart's chief merchandising officer, Latriece Watkins, told reporters gathered at the company's Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters Wednesday that it hasn't made any changes to this year's product array. "We have merchandise that we sell all year that supports different groups," Watkins said, according to Bloomberg. "In this particular case, we haven't changed anything in our assortment."

 . . .Walmart's "Pride & Joy" collection features both Pride-themed editions of items from popular brands and products created by LGBTQ-founded brands, including Pride t-shirts, gender-inclusive enamel pins, and Pride-themed accessories and home decor. Watkins said Wednesday that Walmart hasn't received any threats over its collection, according to Reuters. "In this particular case, when we think about security ... we have not done anything in particular differently related to security in our stores," Watkins said. 

This is not to pat Walmart on the back because the store chain has a lot of problems when it comes to things like fairness to employees. The point, I think, is to watch the reaction from the boycott crowd. They've been raising hell against Target even to the point of allegedly causing disruption at the stores. However, they have been mostly silent about Walmart. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a totally different view of Walmart shoppers and employees.  Perhaps they think that folks at Walmart won't put up with or be scared by what those at Target were.

If you catch my meaning.