Dear Pride Festival Corporate Sponsors,

Your company/corporation has been consistent in your commitment to show up in our time of celebration, and we ask that you not abandon us in our time of suffering.

Pride isn’t just about the party, it’s about the people. We take pride in our seniors, trans and gender non-conforming folx, people of color (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and undocumented) the disabled, immunocompromised, those living with HIV & AIDS, the homeless, our veterans, those of us raising families, and we are counting on you in our time of need.

Those vulnerable sub-communities under the LGBTQ umbrella disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, are the same ones who fought on the frontlines for the very freedom we celebrate annually—at the festivals you’ve graciously sponsored.

As a gesture of good faith, and an extension of your commitment to the LGBTQ community, we ask that earmarked funds for (now canceled) pride festivals all over the country be reallocated toward COVID-19 related efforts helping to save LGBTQ lives during the pandemic.

As a former board member for LA Pride/CSW, I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with some of your community partnership reps, and ask that they help make the case for why this is the right thing to do. According to a recent Gallup poll from 2017, only 4.5% of adults in the United States identify as LGBTQ. Yet in 2019 we carried a purchasing power of $900 billion in the U.S. and $3.7 trillion globally. We’ve not only invested our hard earned dollars in your brands, we’ve invested our trust. We ask that you reinvest a minuscule fraction of that revenue back into our community during Pride Month, as a show of solidarity.

Corporations/companies that sign on to the #PridePledge will be listed in updates across all social media channels and associated press releases. We also ask that they share their commitment to showing up for us despite the cancellation of pride festivals, from their social media pages using the hashtag, #PridePledge.

Should our #PridePledge partners decide to make their contribution via the #YouAreEssential ( www.youareessential.org ) campaign (fiscally sponsored by the Social Impact Fund) the monies will be awarded to LGBTQ grassroots organizations providing COVID-19 relief aid. The #YouAreEssential campaign has already funded grassroots LGBTQ organizations of the like, while other applicants are still waiting to be funded. Awarded funds via #YouAreEssential will be presented/named after the #PridePledge partner, (example: AARP’s LGBTQ Senior’s COVID-19 Relief Fund).

#PridePledge partners may also directly fund pride organizations (most are 501c3’s) that they’ve already established a relationship with. Again, as a former board member for LA Pride, I know that organizational involvement is typically volunteer-based and there’s barely enough bandwidth to execute the undertaking of yearly festivals, as it is. If that is the case for any given pride organization as well an absence of the necessary infrastructure; “The Town Hall Project”/ Mutual Aid Hub (another #YouAreEssential Partner) can help them. “The Town Hall Project” created a mapping tool at www.mutualaidhub.org which is a database and national network of volunteers all across the country who are willing to do the groundwork—ensuring that vital resources are  reaching individuals in need.

#PridePledge partners may also choose to fund larger LGBTQ organizations. No matter which approach they take, the goal is to make sure the awarded funds are directly dispersed among LGBTQ individuals in crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We thank you in advance for your show of solidarity in our time of need! As I mentioned before, pride isn’t just about the party, it’s about the people; their journey, struggles, victories, hopes, fears, dreams and ultimate purpose. Each person is a thread, holding the fabric of our community together. Their well-being is essential. 

signed,

—The LGBTQ Community and our Allies

PS: If you are a company/corporation that would like to make the pledge, please email contact@youareessential.org