People's Pride grows as corporate support fades
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People's Pride KC in West Bottoms in 2024. Photo: Courtesy of People's Pride KC
As many Americans grow skeptical of corporate participation in Pride, a Kansas City group is building a celebration rooted in community, not marketing.
Why it matters: Some companies are pulling support for Pride and related events as they roll back diversity and inclusion initiatives amid pressure from the Trump administration and broader skepticism of corporate Pride.
By the numbers: A Pew Research Center survey found that 68% of LGBTQ+ adults believe companies support Pride because it helps their business, 35% because they feel pressured to do so, and 16% out of genuine desire. Among non-LGBTQ adults surveyed in mid-February, those shares were 54%, 45% and 13%, respectively.
- Nearly 40% of companies are reducing Pride engagement this year, according to Gravity Research.
Zoom in: People's Pride KC, returning June 29 for its third year, was created as an alternative to corporate-sponsored events.
- Organizers describe it as a DIY, community-led festival that centers queer voices and rejects institutional involvement, including police and corporate brands.
- "Pride isn't an ad campaign or brand you can sell back to us," said Olive Cooke, who coordinates vendors and merchandise. "It's about solidarity, queer folks helping each other out."
Catch up quick: The event debuted in 2022 with organizers expecting just 80 people. Instead, more than 300 showed up.
- Last year's attendance reached roughly 500. This year, over 80 queer-led vendors have signed on.
Between the lines: Organizers say without outside pressure, they're free to focus on local needs, support working-class queer people and speak openly about what Pride means to them.
- "We're not going to be safe unless all people fight the systems oppressing all of us," said Cooke. "We don't need permission to show up for each other."
- "I shouldn't have to pay to celebrate my identity," said Marie Karaya, who books performers. "Pride should be for the people, not for profit."
Axios first reached out to the KC Pride Alliance, the group behind Kansas City's main corporate-sponsored Pride festival, on June 9 for an interview but did not hear back.
The vibe: The free event will kick off at 12pm with a vendor fair at West Bottoms Plant Co., followed by a casual walk through the neighborhood led by a brass band. The evening wraps with drag, live music and dancing at The Black Box.
The bottom line: "We're trying to build a world where people don't have to work just to survive," said Rosie O'Brien, the parade lead and treasurer. "Everyone deserves access to joy."