In 2022, Seattle Pride will not allow Amazon to fund LGBTQ pride activities. The Seattle-based group, which hosts pride events and engages in other campaigning, announced Tuesday that it would “part ways” with Amazon.
The statement read, “Seattle Pride has decided to not partner with Amazon for the 2022 Seattle Pride Parade because of their financial donations to politicians who actively propose and support anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, oppose pro-LGBTQIA+ and other human rights legislation, and for allowing anti-LGBTQIA+ organizations to raise funds from their AmazonSmile program.”
Seattle Pride said in a longer statement that it had been chastised for being “too corporate.”
According to Insider, Amazon’s corporate PAC previously donated more than $460,000 to legislators who voted against the Equality Act, which protects LGBTQ people, when it was up for a vote in February 2021.
This scenario is exacerbated by the fact that huge firms, such as Amazon and Walmart, donate to both sides of the aisle to increase their political clout. For years, corporations have been chastised for utilizing their proximity to the LGBTQ community for marketing and legitimacy while engaging in seemingly contradictory actions, a practice known as “Rainbow Capitalism.” Companies that have proclaimed support for Black Lives Matter have raised related problems.
The following backlash for allegedly donating to the legislation’ proponents, Disney CEO Bob Chapek apologized for the company’s response to Florida’s “Don’t mention gay” bill and suspended political donations in the state.
In a statement, Seattle Pride chastised Amazon for donating to proponents of anti-LGBTQ legislation at the state level, as well as legislation that prohibits critical race theory discussion in schools, and criticized the Human Rights Campaign’s existing measure for evaluating corporations’ LGBTQ records.
According to openDemocracy and NBC News, organizations opposed to LGBTQ rights have raised money on AmazonSmile, despite the platform’s regulations aimed at preventing hate groups from utilising it.
The company also stated that it is working with state and federal lawmakers on legislation that supports LGBTQ people, such as the Equality Act, and that it does not endorse the views of every organization that uses AmazonSmile, which allows customers to donate a portion of their purchases to charity.