Pride Toronto says it's lost 2 more sponsors ahead of annual 2SLGBTQ+ festival

Pride Toronto says it has lost two more sponsors of its annual 2SLGBTQ+ festival beginning in June, while another sponsor has reduced its financial support.

Home Depot and Google have told the non-profit organization they will no longer be sponsors of the Pride festival in Toronto this year, while pharmaceutical company Merck Canada said it will reduce its contribution, according to Kojo Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto.

Modeste said the loss of support will have a "significant impact" on how the organization will be able to deliver the festival. Pride Toronto has commitments with more than 300 artists, most of whom are Canadian. But Modeste added that the Pride festival will not be any smaller.

"It is sad," Modeste said on Thursday. "We were relying heavily on a lot of these sponsors that have been showing up year after year. It is sad not just for us as an organization, but the artists and the community that look forward to everything that Pride has to offer."

Pride Toronto amplifies the 2SLGBTQ+ community through its festival, but "this is bringing us back," Modeste said.

Home Deport confirmed to CBC Toronto that it has withdrawn its sponsorship. Google has not responded to requests for comment.

In a statement on Thursday, Home Depot said: "We work with an extensive network of non-profits made up of thousands of local and national organizations to amplify our support to the communities we serve. We continually review our non-profit giving and decided not to contribute to this event this year with no agreement in place to do so. 

"We continue to participate in Pride activities throughout Canada and look forward to working with Toronto Pride on future opportunities."

'We need resources at this point': executive director

In an email on Friday, Merck Canada said it cannot comment on its sponsorship of Pride Toronto "as discussions with the organization are still ongoing."

Modeste said the organization plans to appeal to individuals who may be able to donate, Canadian companies that support the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and the provincial and federal governments.

"Let's talk because we need resources at this point," Modeste said.

Modeste said other sponsors, namely Nissan Canada and Adidas, have also not renewed their sponsorships, while The Abnormal Beauty Company and Tim Hortons have lowered their contribution amounts. 

In a statement on Thursday, Nissan Canada said the decision was based on its marketing priorities and a budget evaluation for the new fiscal year that began April 1.

"Nissan Canada has been a proud sponsor of Pride Toronto for 2023 and 2024, among other external and internal initiatives. Unfortunately, we will not be able to sponsor this year's event in Toronto, a local decision solely due to a reevaluation of all our marketing and media activations in a variety of activities to ensure we will efficiently support our new product launches and marketing campaigns coming in 2025," Nissan Canada said.

"We look forward to finding new opportunities to collaborate and contribute in the future."

In February, Pride Toronto said three large corporate sponsors pulled their funding from the festival this year in a move Modeste said at the time was connected to a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the U.S.

Modeste did not name the sponsors who withdrew at the time because Pride Toronto was hoping to do business with them in the future. 

Artin Avaznia, a solo dance artist who is producing a event called Underground Pride at the Drake Hotel Underground on June 28, said when sponsors pull out, it creates fewer opportunities for artists such as himself.

He said he thinks the sponsors who dropped out were likely more interested in highlighting themselves than amplifying queer voices and visibility.

"We're a very resilient community. A lot of us have had to deal with very real life scenarios, whether it's rejection from friends, family, dealing with a lot of housing issues, addiction issues. But we always rise."

"So they could pull out their money, but... that won't erase our impact on culture."

Festival will highlight transgender, non-binary community

Modeste said the festival will go on, urging members of the public to come and show their support.

"We do have a plan in place. So I would say to folks, don't be worried," Modeste said.

"I believe we're going to survive. The 2SLGBTQ+ community has been in worse positions and we did not stay there. I believe Canadians will come forward and will show up for Pride Toronto and other Prides across Canada who are feeling the heat of of the backlash."

Pride Month, which kicks off June 1 in Toronto, will highlight the transgender and non-binary community.

The theme of the Pride Toronto festival this year is "All In."

On its website, the organization says the theme is  "a call to come together to stand together in unshakable solidarity. It's a promise to show up for one another every single day, united in our fight for a future where everyone can live unapologetically as they are."