Walmart – whose website features a “ Pride & Joy” section – has donated at least $442,000 to 121 politicians who received a zero from HRC, according to campaign finance reports. But it has also supported sponsors of anti-trans legislation in Arkansas ($12,950), Tennessee ($4,000), North Carolina ($5,000), Texas ($22,500), and Florida ($17,500). And with Xfinity, it’s Pride all year.” Comcast itself has created “a virtual ‘Pride World’, where we will feature events, Pride floats, Pride flags, and even a Pronoun Guide for employees”.īut according to the study by Popular Information, Comcast has also donated more than $1.1m to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians since 2019, including $30,000 to the sponsors of anti-trans legislation in Florida and Texas and $1,095,500 to 149 members of Congress marked zero by HRC.ĪT&T, which recently said “We can #TURNUPTHELOVE for LGBTQ youth together”, also signed a HRC letter opposing anti-LGBTQ state legislation. Others named in the study include cable giant Comcast, which has donated more than $1m to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians since 2019.Ī Comcast subsidiary, Xfinity, recently tweeted: “Pride is the love we share. The company also backed North Carolina state senator Ralph Hise, primary sponsor of S514, which would ban anyone under 21 receiving gender-affirming treatment and which the Advocate, an LGBTQ+ outlet, called “ the most repressive anti-transgender healthcare bill in the nation”.ĬVS’s $1,000 donation to Hise in August 2020 came four years after huge controversy over an anti-trans “bathroom bill” the senator argued was necessary “ to protect the citizens of the state of North Carolina”.ĬVS has donated $259,000 to 54 members of Congress who received a HRC rating of zero, largely through voting against the Equality Act, over the last two years. In Texas, CVS backed Republican state senators Dawn Buckingham and Bryan Hughes, co-sponsors of SB1646, a bill that would “ change the state’s child abuse law” to make it a crime for parents to allow children to receive gender-affirming medical care. The study found that CVS, while receiving a perfect HRC score and announcing on Twitter it was “proud to join more than 100 companies that have signed HRC’s Business Statement Opposing Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation”, also supported sponsors of anti-trans legislation in Texas, North Carolina and Tennessee, through its corporate political action committee. The index does not take political donations into account. Many of the corporations have 100% ratings on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2020 Corporate Equality Index, which measures workplace policies and “public commitment to the LGBTQ community”.
They were banned again in 2018 over criticism the force had not taken seriously the disappearances of several men with ties to the city's gay village, who turned out to be the victims of a serial killer.The study, released on Monday by the Popular Information newsletter, found that alongside pronouncements of LGBTQ+ support, corporations including CVS, AT&T, Walmart and Comcast have supported candidates who seek to block or otherwise restrict equal rights based on gender or sexual orientation. Uniformed officers were first banned from the parade in 2017 over concerns of racial profiling.
Pride members narrowly voted earlier this year to indefinitely bar uniformed officers from the parade - police can still march, just not in uniform. MISSISSAUGA -Premier Doug Ford says he will attend Pride events this month, even though he won't be at the signature Toronto parade.įord says he won't go to the Toronto Pride parade because of a decision to prevent uniformed police officers from marching in it.īut, he says, he has no problem going to Pride events, saying it's great for people to gather and it is a real boost to the economy.įord says when he was involved with the family label business he donated printing to Pride, but he says he can't figure out why they don't want police there.