Allegations have arisen that Salt Lake City’s Pride Parade has put at least 13 entries from LGBT community groups on a waiting list for this year’s event opting instead to show favoritism to corporate entrants to march instead.
Parade organizers state that only 30 percent of the event’s 150 entries are corporate, and that the LGBT groups were left out because they turned in their applications late.
A gay activist who owns a local consignment shop, has marched in the parade for six of the last seven years, but was told there is no room for his entry in 2016.
“I’m disappointed,” Sanders said. “When I see a parade that accommodates corporations and big-business marketing to my community and doesn’t really have room for me anymore I feel that is broken. … The parade is our parade, it’s our protest march. it’s our call to action.”
“I do have companies like Bud Light and AT&T, but I also have sponsorships like Equality Utah and Planned Parenthood,” said Bonnie O’Brien, who puts together the parade for the Pride Center told KUTV.com. Corporate sponsors are critical to the event’s success, brining in about $200,000 for the Pride Center each year.
“This building isn’t open and the services that are available at this building don’t exist without corporate sponsorship,” she said.
O’Brien says she will work to ensure that groups currently on the waiting list can participate in this year’s event.
Shameful. Gay Inc. at its worst.
Anyone else remember when Pride was actually about PRIDE?