Pride, but no budget: LGBTQ+ creators hit by ad spend drop
As advertisers curb their Pride marketing, some LGBTQ+ influencers are seeing their brand partnerships for June’s Pride Month dwindle to almost nothing.
In 2025, advertisers’ Pride Month spending has cratered — and LGBTQ+ creators and influencers are feeling the squeeze.
Brands and marketers have been reconsidering their support of gay pride since 2023, when Bud Light’s Pride campaign sparked an uproar — and boycotts — among elements of the political right by sponsoring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Since then, brands have grown increasingly wary of spending on Pride-related marketing campaigns, with data from research firm Gravity Research suggesting that overall marketing spend in this area has consistently decreased year over year since 2023.
As advertisers curb their Pride marketing spend, some LGBTQ+ influencers are seeing their brand partnership revenue for June’s Pride Month — which is often their most active month — dwindle to almost nothing. These creators are among the individuals whose livelihoods are directly impacted as big businesses rush to distance themselves from DEI initiatives.
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