Seattle, WA
Seattle Pride faces budget shortfall as corporate sponsorships dwindle amid anti-DEI shift
Seattle Pride reportedly faces an uncertain future as corporations turn away from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
In recent years, Pride parades have been funded by major corporations, but the shift against DEI and identity-politics across American business and culture is reportedly beginning to take its toll.
Seattle Pride, centered in one of the most famous left-leaning bastions on the West Coast, reportedly faces a shortfall of nearly $350,000, which, according to Seattle-based KOMO news is “attributed to recent rollbacks in initiatives and political challenges facing the LGBTQIA2S+ community.”
MAJOR COMPANIES STILL ENGAGING IN DEI POLICIES UNDER NEW NAMES, CONSUMER WATCHDOG CLAIMS
Seattle Pride Executive Director Patti Hearn spoke to the news outlet about how the changing cultural and economic landscape may shift the onus of supporting Pride events from businesses to grassroots organizations and the community.
Scenes from the Seattle Pride Parade, Sunday, June 25, 2017. (Photo by Genna Martin/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE TAKES FINANCIAL HIT AFTER MAJOR COMPANIES PULL SPONSORSHIPS AMID DEI FALLOUT
“We have seen shifts in corporate sponsorship as companies assess their budgets and priorities, and some sponsors have not yet renewed their commitments this year,” Hearn said. “We are still in conversations with many of them — it’s important to us that we partner with organizations that demonstrate genuine and sustained support for the LGBTQIA2S+ community year-round. This is especially imperative as our community faces ongoing political attacks.”
Hearn added further that “We know that relying on corporate sponsorships is not the future of Pride. The future is community. That’s why we’re leaning into grassroots partnerships and radical mutual aid.”
The organization reportedly said that this financial gap threatens the very core of Seattle Pride celebrations, including the annual Seattle Pride Parade itself.
According to The Seattle Times, “Hearn said the retreat in financial commitments by major corporate sponsors is a sign big-name companies may be following the lead of the Trump administration, which has launched a sweeping campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender people.”
“It’s a really rough world for queer people,” Hearn told The Seattle Times, “and this just feels like it’s part of that package.”
Hearn declined to name which corporations have neglected to renew their donations to the annual event so far, claiming her team is “still in some conversation” with some of them.
DEATH OF DEI IS A MASSIVE REMINDER THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO RUN A BUSINESS
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 13: The Space Needle stands over the Seattle skyline as Mt. Rainier is seen in the background on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
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“Typically, we’d have a lot more companies who’d sign on the dotted line much earlier than the deadline,” Hearn told The Seattle Times. “What we’re seeing is a bit of uncertainty.”
Harn told the news outlet that while the shortfall will not impact this year’s festivities, the ones in 2026 could look very different unless the situation changes. She added further that the organization is soliciting individual donations and grants and will start regularly hosting events to raise funds.
Fox News Digital reached out to Seattle Pride and did not receive an immediate reply.
SEATTLE — A King County Superior Court judge has upheld a $30.5 million jury verdict against the City of Seattle in the death of Antonio Mays Jr., rejecting all post-trial motions filed by the city.
Judge Sean P. O’Donnell denied the motions Friday in the case filed by Mays’ family, leaving intact the verdict returned Jan. 29, 2026, the largest in Seattle’s history.
Mays, 16, was shot June 29, 2020, inside the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP, zone, where police and emergency services had been withdrawn during protests following the killing of George Floyd.
Jury finds city of Seattle liable for teen’s death in CHOP zone; awards family $30-million
Attorneys for the Mays family argued the teen’s injuries were survivable and that the city’s failure to provide timely emergency response led to his death. A jury deliberated for 12 days before reaching the $30.5 million verdict.
The city challenged multiple aspects of the verdict, including causation, damages and alleged juror misconduct, but the judge rejected those arguments.
This ruling confirms what 12 jurors already told the City of Seattle,” attorneys with Oshan Law, representing the Mays family, said in a statement. “Judge O’Donnell considered every argument the city raised and found none sufficient. The verdict stands.
Antonio Mays Sr., the teen’s father, said the ruling affirms the jury’s findings.
“My son came to this city and this city turned its back on him,” he said in a statement. “Today, the court confirmed what the jury already said — his life mattered.”
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The city has not yet publicly indicated whether it plans to appeal.
Tuesday’s Round of 16 action saw both teams pick up wins versus marquee opposition.
Seattle’s Under-15s powered past Bundesliga giants FC Bayern, 4-0, to advance to the quarterfinals.
Kyle Iwamoto put Seattle out in front in the 19th minute. Cristopher Batiz and Gian Hurtado-Martinez tacked on second-half goals. After Bayern had a man sent off, Batiz added his second of the game.
Seattle’s Under-16 team knocked off a previously unbeaten Boca Juniors squad, 1-0. An 18th-minute goal from Adin Fikic accounted for the offense as the two Seattle sides progressed.
Here’s a roundup of the rest of the Round of 16 action from IMG Academy as penalty kick shootouts dominated the day.
Up next for Seattle in this age group are FC Cincinnati, who beat Red Bull New York by a 2-0 score. Familiar faces found the back of the net once again, as Hassan Sakr and Grant Choi scored in the second stanza to secure progress.
It took Cedar Stars Academy-Bergen 40 minutes to finally break through the Nashville SC back line, securing progress with a 2-0 victory over the MLS side. Emmanuel Gavela finally broke the deadlock, and with the game stretched, Christopher Fitanidis added his side’s second goal.
Charlotte FC sent Toulouse FC out of the competition, winning a penalty shootout by a 4-3 margin after the two sides drew 0-0. New York City FC did the same to Orlando City, winning 3-1 on spot kicks after neither side found the back of the net in the 60-minute game. LAFC and CF Montréal were the third 0-0 matchup of the day, with the SoCal side advancing via a 4-1 victory in the shootout.
Another matchup was decided from the spot between D.C. United and Atlanta United. Joey Rubio put United up in the 30th minute, only for Colin O’Neil to answer six minutes later. Michael Emoghene’s 52nd-minute goal put Atlanta up, before a stoppage-time equalizer by Bakary Kante. Atlanta converted all five penalties to survive.
Chicago Fire homegrown signing Robert Turdean slotted into the starting lineup, helping fire them to a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague. He scored in the 18th and 39th minutes as Chicago punched their ticket to the quarterfinals against LA Galaxy.
In an epic tussle between two MLS sides, the Galaxy defeated the Philadelphia Union in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw. U.S. youth national team veterans Abdoulaye Diop (Union) and Ikenna Chidebe (Galaxy) traded early goals in the first 16 minutes of the game. Alessio Benedetti put the Galaxy in front for the first time with a 34th-minute goal. After the Galaxy went down a man later in the half, Christopher Thompson equalized. LA converted four of its five attempts to move on.
Trailing 3-1 to Club América in the second half, it appeared the Vancouver Whitecaps were on the way out of the tournament. However, the offense came to life at the right time. Henry Hudspith narrowed the margin to 3-2, setting the table for Simeon Cruickshank to score again to tie it. Riding the momentum, the Whitecaps nailed all four spot kicks to advance.
Real Salt Lake bested Toronto FC thanks to two second-half goals in three minutes. Eric Saavedra and Elliott Jo accounted for the tallies in the 2-0 victory.
It’s already been a strong week for New England Revolution forward Matthew Jean Baptiste. With a goal and assist in a previous match, his second-minute winner knocked out Orlando City by a 1-0 score. The Sounders await in the quarterfinals.
Niko Price’s retirement didn’t go as planned in every sense.
Price (16-11 MMA, 8-11 UFC) made his last MMA walkout this past Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 271 in Seattle. He stepped in on short notice to fight Michael Chiesa, who is from Washington, and was also entering the last fight of his career. Price, like any retiring fighter, wanted to close out his career on a high, but unfortunately, he was quickly submitted by Chiesa in the first round. The loss wasn’t the only thing that didn’t go Price’s way.
After the fight, Price took off his gloves and laid them on the canvas – a tradition most fighters follow in their final bout. Yet, despite letting the UFC beforehand that he was retiring and making it known in the cage after the fight, he was passed over for an interview. The post-fight production focused on Chiesa, and was the only fighter to get time on the microphone.
“I had to stand there and watch his whole thing, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to get mic time.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, cool.’ Then I’m like, ‘Why am I not getting mic time?’” Price recalled speaking to Inside Fighting. “Then, I was like, ‘Whatever, don’t worry, but can I leave? I don’t want to stay here no more.’ Then I told my coach because they didn’t even send me off at all. They went to my gloves, and then they took a picture of him with my gloves. I was like, ‘Nooo, I wanted to do that picture with my gloves.’ He has his gloves on in the picture.”
It was an awkward moment. Many online criticized the UFC production team and Daniel Cormier for not acknowledging Price’s retirement.
Although Price didn’t get his ideal send-off, he’s happy with his decision to walk away from MMA. It was something he planned on doing, even before accepting the fight with Chiesa.
“It was mentioned probably like 10 days before the fight, ‘Would this be a possibility?’” Price said. “I said, ‘I have to talk to my team.’ At first I was like, ‘No,’ but then me and my wife started talking, and I was like, ‘I’m getting old, man. Everything hurts. I want to spend time with my kids and stop being so selfish and spending so much time with myself.’ She goes, ‘I don’t really want you to do it anymore and it’s getting really hard on my daughters.’ I mean, it’s hard on me too, man. Even though it was on seven days’ notice, still, losing sucks.”
Price debuted for the UFC in December 2016. He did so by pulling a big upset over then prospect Brandon Thatch at UFC 207. Price went on to fight in the UFC for a decade, compiling a record of 8-11. During his best stretch, which came early in his UFC run, Price was 4-1 with one victory getting overturned to a no contest due to a positive marijuana test. The Floridaman shared the cage with many notable names, including Robbie Lawler, Donald Cerrone, Vicente Luque, and Geoff Neal.
Moving forward, Price, 36, plans to focus on his fishing business, along with other things.
“Well, we already have the bait mobile, so I’m going to put a lot of time into that, the mobile bait,” Price explained. “So if you’re going fishing in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, call us up; we’ll bring you some shiners. Yeah, we’re pushing that. I have a couple of other things I’m pushing with my cousins. They own a couple of businesses, so I’m going to jump in with them and do some things. I’m definitely going to be coaching and teaching the stuff I’ve done.”
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