Has the Recession Affected Pride Celebrations?
June is here and Pride is in full swing from coast to coast, but this year's festivities come at a critical time, not just for the LGBT community, but for everyone. Many lives have been touched with job losses and reduced income resulting in many difficult decisions in the past year.
Many cities similarly find themselves reaching deeper into their pockets, facing extensive budget deficits by cutting services, freezing hiring or cutting jobs altogether, as employee-related costs make up the largest part of most city budgets, according to a recent report by the Philadelphia Research Initiative. How might the climate of budget cuts be impacting the planning of this year's Pride celebrations?
EDGE recently checked in with a number of key Pride organizers who offered their insight on the issue.
"It really hasn't hit us, because we don't get any direct funds from the city," explained David Schneider, co-chair of Heritage of Pride, organizers of the giant New York City Gay Pride celebration, set to launch June 20. "We pay for our permits and that covers things like the police and cleanup. So no, we haven't felt it from the city."
Rodney Scott, president of the organization that puts on Los Angeles' Pride celebration, Christopher Street West, also said his organization wasn't affected directly. "We've seen no change for a municipal perspective," Scott said while in the midst of gearing up for his West Hollywood celebration. "Our municipality has been incredibly supportive, and we've seen no concerns rise up. I think they recognize what [Pride] does to the local economy, as we bring in around 350,000 people for the weekend. That is incredible for local businesses, hotels, restaurants and parking structures, bringing in millions of dollars."
Scott also saw the municipality's support as a sign of support reaching beyond the economic stimulus provided by the attraction of visitors from out of town. "This city council is incredibly progressive in recognizing that our community has been through a lot," he added, specifically referencing the state Supreme Court's decision to uphold Prop. 8. "They understand the importance of celebrating our accomplishments as we look to the future and take to the streets, refusing to be silent in the face of discrimination."
City governments that are at least supportive (even if that doesn't translate into hard dollars) aren't limited exclusive to larger markets known for large LGBT concentrations. Scott Gunkel, president of Milwaukee PrideFest, saw no change in the city's relationship with the festival, which features names like Cyndi Lauper and Etta James taking to the stage this weekend.
Corporate Giving--And Not Giving
That said, corporate sponsorship has been a bit of a different story, requiring some extra footwork.
"We lost a large sponsor, but luckily enough, we gained several smaller sponsors to make up for the difference and we are right on target to be just overbudget of what we've made," Gunkel shared, noting that reserved seat ticket sales to shows like Lauper's and James' were up over 50 percent from last year. "Our entertainment came through and ticket sales are going crazy."
Despite facing challenges, organizers noted that many companies saw maintaining long-term relationships with Pride events as an opportunity and remained optimistic while looking ahead beyond this year's celebrations.
"It's a difficult economic time, but they aren't going to throw out the relationships they've had for almost a decade," Scott said. "Advertisers value our consumer, as LGBT consumers are very brand loyal and see which institutions support our community. They see Pride as an opportunity to reach that brand loyal consumer."
William Kapfer, the former publisher of Genre Magazine, which suspended publication earlier this year due to recession-related losses, echoed Scott's sentiments. "I have confidence in our community's resilience and ability to survive," said Kapfer, who now advises corporations on reaching the gay market. "I can only hope that today's savvy decision-makers understand that these events remain lucrative and that the pink dollar is just as green as mainstream revenue."
As always, the true bottom line of Pride has nothing to do with profit margins, particularly as this year's events commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the launch of the modern gay rights movement.
"Forty years ago, it was a small group of courageous people who stood up and said 'no more,' and this year is about remembering our history," Scott said. "Recent events prove we have a lot of work to do and Pride will bring people together to educate and create a visible presence of us as a community."
"The message is still there and is important as ever in bad economic times," Schneider added. "It's important that we're out there and making our presence known because these economic times can lead to bad decisions toward minorities. We need to remain ever vigilant of that."