Each year, hundreds of corporations around the country participate in Pride, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community’s history and progress. They present themselves as LGBTQ+ allies, but new research from Data for Progress finds that in between their yearly parade appearances, dozens of these corporations are giving to state politicians behind some of the most bigoted and harmful policies in over a decade.
Activists and allies wishing to hold these politicians accountable for bigotry can begin by holding their corporate backers accountable. In a new project series, Data for Progress has compiled a set of resources for activists, employees, community leaders, and lawmakers to push back on these policies and the prejudice powering them. We provide research tying the political giving of specific Fortune 500 companies to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians in six states, polling showing that such giving hurts the brands’ favorability, and upcoming policy memos to understand the issue and to take action.
CORPORATE PRIDE TRACKER
POLL: VOTERS DISAPPROVE OF CORPORATE-FUNDED LGBTQ+ HATE —
BUT ONLY WHEN THEY HEAR ABOUT IT
In new polling from Data for Progress conducted between May 4 to 9, 2022, of 1,157 national likely voters, we find a majority of likely voters disapprove of corporations that donate to politicians who sponsor anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Critically, we find that voter approval of national corporations who have donated to anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers takes a significant hit when voters are told information about their donations.
Companies like AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Disney, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sprint, State Farm, and Walgreens — all of which have financially supported politicians who have sponsored anti-LGBTQ+ legislation — see a significant decrease in favorability.
For example, while more than 80 percent initially have a favorable view of Lowe’s, Walgreens, and Home Depot, less than half of voters hold the same opinion of the companies when informed of their contributions.
Funding the campaigns of lawmakers who sponsor legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community is not insignificant for voters and will not go unpunished. A majority of likely voters report that knowing about these donations would galvanize action against AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Disney, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sprint, State Farm, and Walgreens:
Over a quarter of voters say they will spread awareness about the donations
Nearly a quarter of voters say they will stop buying these corporations’ products or services
16 percent say they will tell friends and family to stop buying these corporations’ products or services
12 percent say they will volunteer or donate to an organization focused on fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and supporting the community
