A growing crisis is unfolding in LGBTQ publishing as conservative attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion ripple through the media world.
Brands are increasingly pulling away from sponsorships with LGBTQ outlets. Mark Berryhill, CEO of equalpride — the parent company of The Advocate, Out, and Pride.com — told The Guardian that companies recently have been a bit more cautious than they were in the past.
Berryhill added, “We’ve tried to do a better job in this political climate of just selling the importance of our buying power. Everybody’s cautious and I don’t think it’s just LGBTQ. I think they’re cautious in general right now with their work with minority owned companies.”
The impact has been severe. Tag Warner, CEO of Gay Times, revealed the magazine has lost 80 percent of its advertisers in the past year, with more than 6.7 million dollars in expected revenue. Executives at Amaliah, GUAP, and Attitude magazine’s publisher, Stream Publishing, report similar struggles. This shift began even before Donald Trump’s executive order terminating federal DEI positions. Online campaigns led by right-wing figures, including failed filmmaker turned failed congressional candidate Robby Starbuck, targeted companies until many dropped DEI initiatives and cut ties with Pride and Juneteenth sponsorships.
The losses are clear: Heritage of Pride, which produces New York City Pride, dropped from five Platinum sponsors to just one. Pride organizers in San Francisco, Oakland, St. Louis, Columbus, and Toronto have reported similar setbacks. Berryhill says the challenge is reframing sponsorships as smart business, not just charity. As he put it, “You should do it because it’s the right thing to support LGBTQ journalism. We’re small. We need to get the word out. We have important stories to tell. But it’s also a good business decision.” Berryhill of Out & The Advocate is a resident here in South Florida.
