How LGBTQ+ Pride Month Has Changed in the Era of MAGA and Donald Trump

 https://mobileapp.newsweek.com/story/12038256/content.html

Not long ago, June meant rainbow logos. Major retailers stocked Pride merchandise on front-page displays, big brands changed their social media avatars and corporations competed for visibility at parades from New York to San Francisco.

Things have changed.

Two years into President Donald Trump‘s second term, many of those same companies have quietly stepped back. Retailers that once centered Pride collections in their June marketing have shifted focus to Father’s Day and other summer merchandise. Major corporations have withdrawn sponsorships from Pride events around the country, leaving some organizers facing significant funding shortfalls. NYC Pride told Gothamist it was more than $500,000 short of its fundraising goal after already lowering its target by $1.1 million from 2024.

A Gallup poll published at the start of June found that about 65 percent of U.S. adults now say same-sex marriage should be legal, down from a peak of 71 percent in 2022 and 2023. Nationwide, 62 percent say gay and lesbian relationships are “morally acceptable,” the lowest level since 2016. The decline is driven primarily by Republicans, whose support has fallen to about 37 percent, though the downward movement is evident across all political groups.

The shift is significant because it suggests a potential turning point in one of the most dramatic shifts in opinion in modern U.S. history. Gallup’s previous surveys found support for same-sex marriage rose from 27 percent in 1996 to roughly 7 in 10 Americans in recent years.

But the political picture is not straightforward. Trump appointed Richard Grenell as acting Director of National Intelligence—the first openly gay person to serve in a Cabinet-level role. Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the highest-ranking openly gay official in U.S. history. During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump held up a rainbow flag at a rally and pledged to protect gay Americans.