Seattle Out & Proud (aka Seattle Pride), organizers of the Seattle Pride parade and Seattle Pride in the Park, announced on Tuesday that it had rejected a proposal from Amazon to become the 2022 title sponsor (a level that doesn't exist), including a package totaling approximately $100,000. The decision was made during a board vote on March 3 at its offices in Pioneer Square.

The press release claims that the organization is part of a "larger movement across the country" of LGBTQIA+ people and Pride organizations "separating from harmful corporate partners and politicians... in hopes of motivating corporate entities to eliminate harmful business practices and instead actively help the LGBTQIA+ community."

"As one of the largest Pride events in the country, we don't take corporate support lightly. While some people may be critical of Pride events becoming overly commercial, organizers like Seattle Pride have always felt 'the more, the merrier' because it wasn't too long ago when companies and organizations weren't willing to openly support the LGBTQIA+ community," said Seattle Pride Executive Director Krystal Marx.

"Corporate partners are a valuable ally; however, in the age of rainbow-washing, it's critical that we take a closer look at making sure their words and actions are aligned."

Showing leadership
Seattle Pride is showing leadership in choosing how it evaluates its corporate partners "to ensure they are of the highest caliber..." No nonprofit — big or small — should have to align with any sponsor that doesn't support its mission, values, or goals. I'm tired of seeing rainbow window dressing on Amazon's website in June and am numb to the idea of reading "Seattle Pride Parade Presented by Amazon" emblazoned everywhere (insert eye roll).

However, is Amazon among the corporations worthy of our rebuke?

"Amazon has long supported Seattle Pride, because we believe that the rights of LGBTQ+ people must be protected," a spokesperson told the SGN this week. "We stand together with the LGBTQ+ community, were early and strong supporters of marriage equality, and are working at the US federal and state level on legislation, including supporting passage of the Equality Act. We also work hard to offer an inclusive environment for employees, and for five consecutive years we've received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's annual Corporate Equality Index."

In its statement, Seattle Pride added that it did not partner with Amazon for the 2022 event because of its "financial donations to politicians who actively propose and support anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation [and] oppose pro-LGBTQIA+ and other human rights legislation."

The statement also pointed out that the HRC's employer grading system was not "comprehensive enough for Pride organizations to rely on" when vetting and selecting partners. For example, Amazon has a perfect HRC score "despite the aforementioned support of anti-LGBTQIA+ politicians and organizations, as well as publicly reported workers' rights issues, including instances of employee discrimination and bullying."

Seattle Pride says it is now "requiring all corporate partners to participate in a diversity, equity, and inclusion survey and evaluation process."

Amazon donations
According to the research provided to the SGN by Seattle Pride, Amazon donated more than $450,000 to lawmakers who voted against the Equality Act in 2020. Furthermore, Amazon's political action committee donated $966,500 to 193 members of Congress and their PACs (2020 cycle), with 191 of those having received an "F" grade from the Human Rights Campaign.

In Washington state, Amazon made $11,000 in donations (2020 and 2022) to legislative sponsors of 2022 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, including anti-Transgender House Bills 1556 and 1960, and critical race theory bills HB 1886 and HB 1807.

The Amazon spokesperson noted that "Amazon engages with policymakers and regulators on a wide range of issues that affect our business, customers, and employees." However, it "does not mean we agree with any individual or political organization 100 percent of the time on every issue," and this "includes legislation that discriminates or encourages discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community."

Smile program
Seattle Pride also pointed to the many anti-LGBTQIA+ organizations that raise funds from the AmazonSmile program. It cited a December 2020 article that reported that more than 40 anti-LGBTQIA+ organizations participated, including the Family Council from Little Rock, Arkansas. The conservative organization touted its anti-Gay marriage stance as "pro-marriage," stating, "In 2004 we formed the Arkansas Marriage Amendment Committee and, after gathering over 200,000 petition signatures, we worked for the successful passage of a State Constitutional Amendment that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman."

Seattle Pride added that Concerned Women for America, with its "transphobic stance on female sports and opposition to gender-affirming care for children," and the National Organization for Marriage Education Fund, which was "founded in order to respond to the growing need for an organized promotion and defense of marriage in state and federal legislatures, in the courts at all levels, and in the general culture," were both still in the program too, as is the Family Council.

A reading of Amazon's "eligible organizations" section of the AmazonSmile "Participant Agreement" reveals a fairly liberal admittance policy for any 501(c)(3) organization. However, organizations must attest they "do not engage in, support, encourage, or promote intolerance, discrimination, or discriminatory practices based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age..."

Amazon responded that simply because an organization has chosen to participate in the AmazonSmile program does not mean that Amazon endorses that organization's views.

How does Amazon compare?
How does Amazon compare to other Pacific Northwest corporations? I reached out to Nike, Boeing, and Costco to find out what they are doing on the ground to fight anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, particularly in Texas and Florida. In addition to their powerful lobbyists and political contributions, I wanted to know what they were doing to support their employees. I also asked what they are doing here to show their support in the form of tangible sponsorships, events, and activities.

A spokesperson for the aerospace giant Boeing said that it is a "proud supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and is committed to ensuring that equity, diversity, and inclusion remain top priorities both at Boeing and within our communities." In coordination with the Boeing Employees Pride Alliance (BEPA), its active and longest-running employee "resource group," Boeing "continues to invest in initiatives, groups, and causes that promote LGBTQ+ rights and wellness," he said. (Nike and Costco did not respond to my inquiries.)

Likewise, Boeing sponsors the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, supports the Trevor Project (a nonprofit organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQIA+ youth ages 13-24), and matches employee donations to LGBTQIA+ organizations. Boeing is a member of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), Washington state's LGBTQIA+ and allied business chamber and the largest in North America. Last year, it expanded "benefits eligibility to domestic partners of US employees," earned a perfect 100 on the HRC's Corporate Equality Index, and has been named one of the "Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality" in 2022.

"Boeing continues to provide world-class, industry-leading benefits to LGBTQ+ employees and their families, partnering with our employees to ensure they can live well," the spokesperson added. "Boeing recognizes that the LGBTQ+ community spans cultures, races, ethnicities, abilities, and genders, and we are constantly looking for how best we can advance equity and create a more inclusive environment for our LGBTQ+ teammates and their allies worldwide."

Here is where a lot of corporations run into trouble: I asked if Boeing "recognizes that employees are living under legislation that is detrimental to their health and well-being across America" and pointed to two recent examples in Texas and Florida. The governor of the Lone Star State, Greg Abbott, has directed his child welfare agency to investigate reports of children receiving gender-affirming care, and his attorney general, Ken Paxton, has authored a legal opinion that categorized such treatments as "child abuse." In Florida, a bill on the governor's desk (as of this writing) forbids the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools (aka the "Don't Say Gay" bill). Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced he will soon sign it into law.

I asked: "What obligation does Boeing have to look out for its [employees'] personal interests over [Boeing's] financial bottom line?"

The answer: "We don't have anything further to add."

Amazon was very comparable, including providing gender-transition benefits, including coverage related to gender reassignment procedures for employees, spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. This includes, but is not limited to, hormone therapy, specialized and general surgical procedures, mental health resources, and fertility treatment benefits.

In 2016, Amazon partnered with its LGBTQIA+ employee group, Glamazon, to create a toolkit designed for Transgender employees navigating transition. It offered extensive information on benefits, to help its employees to take advantage of all the coverage and programs that they are entitled to. The toolkit also includes customizable templates that workers can use when coming out to their colleagues and offers guidance to help allies to speak up for others.

Amazon in Texas
All the Pacific Northwest companies I contacted are considered among the top places in the United States for LGBTQIA+ people to work. They all have inclusive policies and have been proactive in seeking to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. They are not our enemy per se, but they could and should be doing more. This is particularly true in "red states," where the interests of the LGBTQIA+ community are used as a political football to score points among conservative voters.

Everyone loves to lob critiques at Amazon about a variety of concerns — everything from its environmental footprint to its aggressive opposition to union organizing to its treatment of warehouse workers and delivery drivers. I'm guilty too! Amazon is a huge company and makes for an easy target. However, to get a clearer picture of what Amazon is doing on a local level, I went down a Texas rabbit hole, sifting through websites, reports, and databases.

Amazon's reach and economic activity in the state were massive. It operates 36 fulfillment and sorting centers, 25 delivery stations, and 36 Whole Foods Market locations there. It operates airplanes and solar and wind farms, and even filmed the Amazon original series Panic in Texas. According to Amazon's publicly available reports, it created over 95,000 full- and part-time jobs in Texas, as of the fourth quarter of 2021, and over 136,000 indirect jobs.

That totals over $29 billion that Amazon has invested in Texas since 2010, including infrastructure and compensation to its employees.

What does all this have to do with anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation? The voice Amazon has in Austin, the capital, is a powerful one.

According to Transparency USA, which provides a database of campaign finance data, Amazon may have spent as much as $1.3 million on lobbying efforts and donated over $305,065 to Texas candidates and PACs to date during the 2022 election season. Amazon also made a one-time contribution of $10,000 in 2021 to the LGBTQ Caucus PAC, which benefits out and proud members of the Texas House of Representatives.

More can be done
Here, Amazon has also been using its voice in ways other Pacific Northwest companies are not.

Texas Competes, whose mission is to "provide a unified voice for the Texas business community on the clear economic and business case for a Texas that offers fair treatment of LGBT people," has a list of its supporters on its website. No Nike. No Boeing. No Costco. The only large companies on that list with headquarters here in the Pacific Northwest were Amazon, Alaska Airlines, and T-Mobile. (A quick search showed that Amazon has signed onto public letters to policymakers as early as 2017.)

As Jessica Shortall, managing director of Texas Competes, explains it, its business members can (and often do) have an immense impact on state legislation. "The vast majority of anti-LGBTQ bills — hundreds and hundreds over the past several years — have been killed behind the scenes," she said. "It actually tends to be a more effective way, even though it doesn't make headlines. Businesses that are active members of coalitions like ours, like Texas Competes and America Competes, can be enormous contributors to that effort."

Pacific Northwest companies like Nike, Boeing, and Costco could be game-changers in defeating anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, but I found little evidence that they were doing so. They cling to their policies, employee groups, and donations but do little for the families of Trans kids being investigated in Texas or the kid of LGBTQIA+ parents during show-and-tell in Florida.

"When local corporations aren't committed to seeing the entirety of their employees — whether their blackness, queerness, disability, or other unique identities — we should all be asking 'Why?' and what we can do about it," Marx told the SGN last week. "That is what we are striving to do."

I think Seattle Pride said it best in its statement on Tuesday: "Pride cannot be bought by corporate partners; it must be earned." Is Amazon the devil in this story? The answer is no, but indifference certainly is. Corporations have been put on notice that the LGBTQIA+ community isn't going to stand for performative gestures anymore. Rainbow-washing your website every June won't work. Here, Seattle Pride is saying with one voice that corporations can keep their token gestures.

To learn more about corporations profiting from the LGBTQIA+ community while actively funding our persecution, visit https://fakeallies.org/ or https://seattlepride.org/.