Red States Replace ‘Pride Month’ as Support for LGBT Events Plummets
Pride Month is off to a faltering start again this year as yet another red state ditches the month-long celebration of LGBT depravity in favor of family values. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed a proclamation last week declaring June to be “Fidelity Month” in her state.
“The United States of America was founded on the values of faith, liberty, and patriotism as acknowledged in its founding documents and in the statements of its Founding Fathers,” the proclamation reads. “The commitment of Arkansas to spiritual and civic institutions is at the core of the State’s collective identity. … Cultivating fidelity to God, family, community, and country contributes to human flourishing and supports a healthy, stable, well-ordered society,” it continues. “Practices that encourage virtue, commitment, responsibility, and shared moral foundations strengthen both individuals and their communities. … Fidelity Month provides an opportunity for residents to reflect on and renew commitments to these shared values and institutions…”
Earlier this year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) also rejected Pride Month, declaring June instead to be “Nuclear Family Month” in the Volunteer State. The governor’s proclamation asserted that “the nuclear family, consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children, is God’s design for familial structure and has been the bedrock of society since the creation of the world…” The nuclear family “was the basic building block of Tennessee’s society throughout her formative years [and] built the United States of America and created prosperity
within our nation,” Lee’s proclamation continued.
“Tennessee’s values do not align with the humanistic, globalist ideologies of the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and like-minded organizations that fight for population control through the means of promoting sterilization and abortion practices,” Lee stated in his proclamation, adding that “the nuclear family is God’s perfect design for humanity and is aligned with the long-held traditional values of Tennessee,” but “is under attack in our beloved State and nation, and it is our responsibility to uplift, protect, and support values that help Tennessee prosper…”
Lee noted that broken families, fatherless homes in particular, are a breeding ground for all manner of societal ills, including poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health and behavioral issues, and increased crime rates among youth, among other problems.
Last year, The Washington Stand reported that corporate sponsorship for Pride Month events was scaling back dramatically in the wake of President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the previous months of crippling boycotts targeting companies that made LGBT themes central to their marketing. The evaporating corporate sponsorship impacted public-facing Pride Month initiatives, with LGBT parades and events in major cities facing serious reductions. 2026 is on track for much of the same.
According to a report from NPR, corporate sponsorship for 2026 Pride Month events is declining even further, falling by an estimated 60% to 70% from years past. Organizers pointed to the Trump White House and its agenda targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and pro-transgenderism programs and the public backlash against LGBT events, marketing, and sponsorship as causes for the reduced corporate involvement in Pride Month this year. According to ProCapitas, many Pride Month events are now shifting from large-scale corporate-funded initiatives to smaller-scale, “community-driven” events. Several Democrat-run cities, however, are planning larger Pride Month events than in years past, including Boston and Houston.
Some Pride programs, like Pittsburgh Pride, have sought state grants and individual donations to make up for lost corporate funding, but Jordan Braxton, co-president of the United States Association of Prides, confirmed that the “majority” of Pride Month events will evince major reductions in scale. Tampa Pride in Florida, for example, has fully suspended all events for 2026, citing an absence of funding (Florida denied state grants to event organizers) and the “current political and economic climate.” Arlington Pride in Texas also canceled major events, and Fort Myers Pride in Florida is unlikely to host any events this year. Others, like Philadelphia Pride, have moved events to larger venues and plan to charge admission fees to cover costs. The move sparked backlash from LGBT activists, who argued that charging admission fees reduces inclusion and accessibility.


