Seattle Pride relinquishes Amazon as sponsor of the city’s LGBTQ march

Seattle Pride has cut ties with Amazon over donations from the e-commerce giant and its alleged request to be named in the headline of the annual LGBT rally.

The nonprofit group, which has organized Seattle’s Pride Parade ever since 1974, issued a statment On Tuesday, she said she was “deeply concerned” about the Seattle-based company’s donations to “anti-LGBT politicians” and its fundraising efforts for anti-gay groups.

She also noted the company’s efforts to call the show – the city’s first since the coronavirus pandemic – “Amazon’s $100,000 Seattle Pride Parade,” the group’s CEO, Crystal Marks, Tell NBC affiliate King-TV in Seattle.

“Pride is not for sale at any time of the year, but especially in June when our community gathers to celebrate,” Marks said. “When someone’s name is attached to the title of an entire event we haven’t seen in two years, it makes me, as an individual like myself, think this show will be entirely about Amazon and celebrating their contribution.”

People walk in Seattle’s Pride Parade on June 25, 2017.Gina Martin/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The group cited a report using data from government nonprofit transparency group OpenSecrets that found the company donated more than $450,000 last year for lawmakers who opposed the Equality Act. The federal legislation, which the House of Representatives passed last year but stalled in the Senate, would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in many areas, including employment, housing, education and public utilities.

Amazon has also reportedly donated more than $11,000 to Washington state lawmakers since 2020 who pursued anti-LGBT legislation in the 2022 legislative session, the group alleged, citing data from the Washington State Public Disclosure Committee.

In addition to highlighting donations to lawmakers, Seattle Pride claimed AmazonSmile — an Amazon company program that allows shoppers to choose a non-profit package to receive 0.5 percent of revenue From Eligible Purchases – More than 40 anti-LGBT groups have been able to raise funds.

Amazon said in a statement Wednesday She stands with the LGBTQ community and cited her past efforts to pass the Equality Act.

The e-commerce giant is one of more than 500 companies that have signed a statement urging Congress to pass the Equality Act, which is regulated by the human rights group.

An Amazon spokesperson said: “Amazon engages with policymakers and regulators on a wide range of issues that affect our business, customers, and employees. This does not mean that we agree with any individual or political organization 100% on every issue, and this includes legislation that discriminates or encourages Discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community”.

Amazon did not immediately respond to an additional question about its alleged request for Seattle Pride to add the company’s name to its annual offering.

Amazon wasn’t the only company to rattle LGBTQ advocates this week.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Walt Disney Company employees staged a strike over the company’s previous donations to sponsors of a Florida law that LGBTQ advocates called the “Don’t Say Like Me” bill.

Follow NBC is out On TwitterAnd the Facebook & Instagram



(Visited 22 times, 1 visits today)

Related posts