A domino effect is impacting Pride Toronto, as the festival suffers from a broader corporate retreat on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Google and Home Depot are the latest major sponsors to withdraw, with organizers blaming Donald Trump’s anti-DEI campaign, a trend also seen in other North American Pride events.
Kojo Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto, noted the abruptness of the withdrawals, with Google and Home Depot communicating their decisions via concise email messages. These sponsorships are crucial for the festival’s operations, covering costs such as staff salaries, artist fees, and enabling the event to remain free for its three million annual attendees.
Modeste voiced profound concern for the festival’s long-term sustainability, fearing the necessity of “drastically cut[ting] what the festival looks like for 2026.” He underscored the importance of maintaining the festival’s scale and accessibility, particularly for younger generations who have come to rely on Pride as a vital community space.
Professor Sui Sui of Toronto Metropolitan University, an expert in DEI initiatives, corroborates the broader trend of corporate retreat. She explains that the White House’s anti-DEI push is causing corporations to reconsider their support for LGBTQ+ events, suggesting that some past commitments may have been more about perceived profitability than genuine advocacy.