Sponsorships for Arlington Pride’s annual LGBTQ+ pride events have plunged this year.
The number of sponsors for the group’s upcoming festivities at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City plummeted from 50 last year to two this year, organizer Lindsey Hinton told ARLnow.
Hinton said sponsors haven’t given a clear explanation for why they have dropped out — saying, “everyone does the Scarecrow and points in different directions.”
It’s possible the event is being overshadowed by WorldPride, set to occur in June in D.C., she said. The elephant in the room, however, is a nationwide walkback of major corporations sponsoring Pride events.
The trend has some organizers calling for greater support from both companies and local civic groups that, they believe, may be more hesitant to publicly support LGBTQ+ causes under the Trump administration.
“I’ve heard, ‘I don’t think we should do anything for Pride month because it’ll be poking Trump in the face, and I don’t think that’s a good thing for the LGBTQ+ people in our community,'” Kellen MacBeth, president of Equality Arlington, told ARLnow.
No matter what, though, community organizers say they’re determined to make local Pride events shine this year.
“We had a dream and we got it done. What we rely on every year is that we have the magic,” Hinton said. “We don’t have the money, but we have the magic.”
Fewer sponsors for Arlington Pride
Arlington Pride, a small local festival, has held Pride month events for the last four years.
“We started this four years ago when we saw a need for diversity and inclusion in Arlington,” Hinton said. “This is our fourth year doing it. There’s three of us [running it] so we’re pretty small but mighty.”
Hinton said that last year, 10 of the event’s dozens of backers were “larger sponsors,” while the rest contributed smaller amounts.
This year, by contrast, she said the only sponsors are the National Landing Business Improvement District and the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City.
Hinton said the organization has seen a 75% drop in funding for events, leaving the group to plan programs on a budget of roughly $7,000. Even so, Hinton said the group’s goal is to stretch the limited resources as far as it can to put on a colorful and optimistic Pride event.
She noted that WorldPride could be partly to blame for the drop in sponsorships.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Hinton said. “But there are a lot of people staying in Arlington who have hotels here because if you’re coming in from Germany, you might not know the difference between staying in Arlington vs D.C. So we’re appealing to people who are staying local.”
Still, there’s no ignoring nationwide trends.
Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte pulled out of WorldPride Washington D.C. amid a broader curtailing of DEI programs. Nearby Reston Pride told FFXnow that they have also seen sponsorship decline but, like Arlington Pride, were determined not to scale back events.
Arlington Pride has five events at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City (2700 Richmond Highway) spread out across Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31, including:
- 3rd Annual Arlington Pride Pageant (Friday, May 30, from 7-10:30 p.m.)
- 4th Annual Arlington Pride Festival (a free gathering from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.)
- 3rd Annual Arlington Pride Drag Brunch (Saturday, May 31, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.)
- 2nd Annual Arlington Pride Speed Dating (a 21+ event on Saturday, May 31, from 1:30-6 p.m.)
- 2nd Annual Arlington Pride After Party (a 21+ event on Saturday, May 31, from 5 p.m.-1 a.m.)
A “full package” ticket for the event is $250, with individual events ranging from $30 for the Speed Dating event to $150 for Pride Drag Brunch.
‘Please, say that you support us’
MacBeth said that major companies dropping their Pride sponsorships is a sharp turnaround from previous years where companies were happy to link their names to Pride parade and activities.
“Booz Allen Hamilton and other big companies pulling back their support; that was something that, a year ago, we didn’t think would happen,” he said. “That certainly changed aspects of what WorldPride was supposed to be.”
For major companies that were quick to pull their support, MacBeth said some in the queer community see it as unmasking the company’s true colors.
“I think a lot of people don’t look at it as these companies forsaking their commitment to DEI, but that a lot of these companies never cared about it to begin with and now that DEI won’t bring them more money or help them be more profitable, they’re abandoning it,” MacBeth said. “It helps people understand which companies actually care.”
It’s a new wrinkle in what MacBeth said has been a long-running debate about the nature of the corporatization of Pride.
“There’s been that debate with Pride Month celebrations for many years,” MacBeth said. “How much of the support is performative? [But] I’d rather have companies show support even if they’re doing it just because they’re capitalism-minded and their profits will be slightly higher. I’d rather have that than have less people support us.”
Even if it’s trend-chasing, MacBeth said being queer and seeing rainbow merchandise in stores can make a difference.
“It does make a difference when you go into a store and see Pride Month apparel, even if you know that company isn’t doing it because they have an ideological commitment to your happiness and well-being,” MacBeth said. “It still has a positive impact for people when they see that support.”
MacBeth said some civic leaders in Arlington who he’s talked to said they’re being more subdued in their Pride celebrations this year. This frustrates him.
“What we want is someone, please, say that you support us,” MacBeth said. “It doesn’t make us feel better when our allies are afraid to say anything positive about us.”
He said that’s particularly true of transgender Arlingtonians, given policies out of the Trump administration like the transgender military ban and changes to passport policy.
“You’re going to have more caution than you probably otherwise would have had as people figure out how to celebrate Pride Month in a region where you have a bunch of MAGA folks here with a strong hatred, especially toward trans and non-binary folks, but to LGBTQ folks in general,” MacBeth said. “Hopeful those folks leave us alone and let us celebrate and it will be a short reprieve for folks.”
Staying bold and defiant
Freddie Lutz, owner of popular gay bar Freddie’s Beach Bar, said there’s been a noticeable change in the atmosphere in the local queer community over the last few months, particularly for those in the military.
“I would say, especially on the military side of things, I have seen attendance [at the bar] increase and I attribute that to the fact that they all want to feel comfortable there and want to commiserate,” Lutz said.
Like Arlington Pride, Lutz said he’s expecting some spillover from WorldPride events in D.C., especially from visitors staying in the Crystal City area.
“I expect to be mobbed,” Lutz said. “I think a lot of folks will be staying at Crystal City and if you Google ‘gay bar’ we’re going to pop up.”
Like MacBeth, Lutz said he’s determined to see Pride remain bold and defiant this year, in spite of the circumstances.
“I feel like it’s the perfect opportunity to show force,” Lutz said. “The fact that World Pride is falling at the foot of the White House right now, well, I hesitate to use the word protest, but I’m old. I protested the Vietnam War and that brought about change. I think more people should come to Pride this year.”
