Is Trump’s War on DEI Good for Gays?
By Charles Karel Bouley II
The Trump administration is one of the most openly homophobic since Ronald Reagan’s. I know, I have now lived through both. His war on DEI and any company or institution that dare strive for equality and inclusion, his renaming of the Naval Ship that bore the name Harvey Milk, renaming Pride Month Title IX Month, the same legislation he is using in his attack on trans kids, and his all out attack on the trans community are all expected evils from this wanna-be dictator. And perhaps the worst is cutting funding for HIV meds to countries so desperately in need, literally possibly killing millions.
Because of these attacks and the mood they set, DEI money and corporate sponsorships that Pride organizations throughout the world rely upon for their festivals and community work have all but dried up, leaving huge economic shortfalls for the entities trying to throw these commemorations of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. NYC lost $750k and every city has lost thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of support.
But could this be a good thing disguised as a horror?
I have been an outspoken critic of Pride festivals in the past on air, in print, just about anywhere I was asked. I felt, and feel, they were becoming too corporate, too commercial, too mainstream if you will. It was and is my belief that many attending, and many throwing the events, forgot the WHY when it comes to the festivals, why, exactly, they exist. They are not a party, they are a commemoration of a riot that happened where the community stood up one night and said “No more! We will not be raided, herded like cattle, humiliated any more.” It was our Fort Sumpter, our shot heard round the world. And in the years after, people gathered at the Stonewall Inn, as well as in other cities. to commemorate that riot, to fight for equality, to hold politicians accountable, to change laws. Holding hands, public displays of affection weren’t for freedom’s sake, they were open rebellion, because doing so was against the laws of the time. Drag Queens weren’t there to lip sync, they were there to fight the laws that said you had to be wearing three articles of clothing specific to your gender or you could be arrested (and the cops got to determine the particulars).
The first Pride was, indeed, a riot, and the ones after were protests.
The first Pride festivals I attended in the early ‘80s were all community based. The bars, the local gay businesses, they were the support for the festivals. The parades were community organizations and service groups, gay centers, PFLAG, leather associations, lesbian, drag, trans groups.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that sponsored beer tents began popping up, that a few daring corporations here or there appeared in the parades or politicians outside the community began attending. And then Pride became commercial, a profit center, a party.
Even then, the stages were full of people from the community. People like myself, Corday and the Curious, Romanofsky and Phillips and so many more LGBTQ artists. There wasn’t much money for talent but Pride made do and great shows happened. Then, since gays love Dance music as a generalization and most great Dance music came from and comes from the gay clubs, we began hiring the divas of Dance; Grace Jones, Sister Sledge, Shannon, Crystal Waters, CeCe Penniston, Thea Austin, and so many more. Sometimes a big artist stopped by, Cyndi Lauper, Patti Labelle, even Cher. But they were often supporters who did the shows as a tax write off and didn’t charge their full, or any fees.
As administrations changed, as gay marriage became legal, as Clinton (one of the most anti-gay Presidents in history if you judge him by Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Bill, both under his Presidency), Obama, Biden administrations took hold, as California went Democratic for governor as did many states, Prides changed.
They became big parties with little politics, places where LGBTQ acts were relegated to the smaller stages and suddenly Cher, Mariah Carey, LIzzo, Paris Hilton or their counterparts of whatever era became headliners.
And that cost money, lots and lots of money.
But it was ok because corporations sensed they were missing out on a market. So every June they suddenly slapped rainbows on anything and everything, put their logos in our festivals through sponsorships of the stages, floats in the parade, merchandise of all kinds and their support, often above $150k in some cities, made the festivals bigger, brighter stars, bigger venues. They became commercialized parties, like Coachella or other festivals.
And the community made the mistake of thinking those corporations were our friends, our allies. I never did. Because a corporation can’t be someone’s friend or supporter. A corporation is legal paperwork to protect the owners and shareholders. A corporation only cares about customers, profits and shareholders. If something is good for business, they do it; if it’s bad, they cut and run.
And under Donald Trump, supporting gays has become bad for business. So, they left. Because again, they were NEVER our friends, or allies. They wanted us as a market, as consumers, as customers. But, not at the expense of their larger markets. The minute the larger market was threatened, or other assets or income threatened by Trump, MAGA or the GOP, bye Felicia, they took their sponsorships and went home.
This has left many organizations high and dry and scrambling for funds. Now, that’s sad on many levels, but one of the main ones being that many Pride organizations trickle the money they make down to smaller organizations that desperately need it. Now, they won’t be getting that, and that’s tragic.
But where are the gay millionaires to make up the difference? There are many. Where are the gay CEO’s keeping their companies involved? Apple has made a fortune off the gay community and the CEO is gay. He could have setup a $100m fund and made up the shortfall in every city; instead Tim Cook attended the Trump inauguration and has kissed the ring repeatedly to avoid tariffs (good luck).
And have Pride festivals gone back to more local, LGBTQ entertainment? Have they revisited hiring entertainment from the community, their community? Well, not exactly. They’re blowing their wads on the big names in hopes they’ll bring in the crowds to make the money.
Some have gone off the rails, like Long Beach, CA which charged $40 admission this year, had scarce talent, restricted beer to one area, no re-entry and the city had to bail them out to afford the parade because of tax issues, mismanagement and more. It was not a success at all. Then there’s the other end, the WeHo music festival/Pride which had Paris Hilton, LIzzo and Kim Petras to name a few.
Perhaps we needed as a community this reminder that corporations are not our friends, they are dealers that only like us when we are buying the drugs they are selling, and when selling to us doesn’t get them in trouble with their other clients. Most have no moral backbone, no higher calling. It’s all about the money, the shareholders and profits.
Maybe we need a reminder that there’s plenty of affordable talent in and from our community, we don’t need to hire Paris Hilton or Lizzo (West Hollywood); if they want to come by and perform as a thank you, great. But I have sung at many a Pride, and had zero dressing room, no transportation and no per diem along with many of my friends in music (major #1 Dance artists) while one or two acts got the money, the hotel suites, the limos.
And maybe we needed a reminder that Pride isn’t a party, it’s a revolt. It’s a protest. It’s a gathering in a safe space where we can be ourselves, express our love and joy, voice our protests and concerns, address local, state and federal politicians, rally our causes and come together as one voice to remind the entire city, state and country that we are here, we will not be silenced and we count.
We are right back where we started in terms of rights. The Supreme Court could schedule cases to overturn LGBTQ marriage. Schools are banning our books, hurting our youth, doctors are denying trans people gender-affirming care. Trans soldiers have been removed from the military and hate crimes are at an all time high.
Maybe younger LGBTQ people needed a reminder that just because a store sells a shirt with a rainbow on it doesn’t make them our friend, nor does it guarantee they won’t be attacked at that store, in the parking lot or at their place of business for simply being who they are.
Some companies have held fast and kept their DEI policies, continued their contributions to Pride and want to be a part of the community 24/7 not just for one month. But again, that doesn’t make them our friend, it just means they are doing what is right; not supporting discrimination and pushing for a more equitable world and workplace. That’s the right thing to do, for any company.
So maybe the adversity now before us will strengthen us as a community; maybe the financial challenges presented will make complacent members of the community that have resources step up. Maybe Pride organizations will go back to basics and realize their place in the community, what they really are about, and figure out a better way to do it, with less. Back to basics isn’t always bad.
Maybe Trump will Make Pride Great Again.
One thing is for certain. America has taken enormous steps backwards in regards to the equality, safety and inclusion of LGBTQ people in all aspects of life; socially, politically and economically.
But this is the community that fought Reagan on AIDS, and finally progressed that battle to remove the stigma and get the needed funding (it’s not cured, by the way, and the needs are still there). This is the community that demanded marriage equality and finally got it thanks not to the Democrats (or Republicans), it wasn’t Obama that granted it, or his House or Senate, but the Supreme Court, meaning, it took LGBTQ people fighting in the last venue possible, the courts, to win. But win we did. We have always faced adversity as a community, and we have always met the challenges.
We can do it again, and reshape our Pride festivities, we can reunify our community and once again battle the legislative fights that must again be fought. And we can do it without turncoat corporations.
And if we want to party after, fine. But don’t count on corporations to pay for it any more. It’s up to us, like it always has been. And always will be.
————————
Karel (Charles Karel Bouley) is an internationally heard podcaster, entertainer and author. He made history at KFI AM 640 Los Angeles, breaking the pink ceiling in broadcasting with his late partner Andrew Howard. He went on to ABC’s KGO AM 810 San Francisco and ruled the West Coast with talk from an LGBTQ perspective, one of the only working hosts in the genre. He maintains a daily podcast, releases music, produces and hosts television shows and of course, his most important job, caring for his 15 pound service dog, Ember. Follow @reallykarel on all social media and visit https://reallykarel.com for more.
