To our valued corporate partners:
For years, I have enjoyed managing the staging area of the Dallas Pride parade, lining up the parade participants in their numerical order of appearance. It has always been gratifying to see which corporate sponsors partner with Dallas Pride each year.
Most corporate sponsors do return, year after year. However, this year has been challenging. Our LGBTQ community is under attack from every side: local, state and federal. While we rekindle our strength and our resilience, we need our allies more than ever.
And we appreciate them more than ever.
To ALL the corporate sponsors who participated in this year’s Pride parade, I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your continued support and solidarity. Your commitment to inclusion, equality and respect — both within your workplace and in the broader public sphere — makes a profound difference.
Starbucks Coffee Company (starbucks.com), Vizzy Hard Seltzer (vizzyhardseltzer.com) and Meow Wolf Grapevine (meowwolf.com/visit/grapevine) were major donors. So buy a cup of Starbucks’ coffee, chase it with a Vizzy Hard Seltzer and go visit MeowWolf in Grapevine.
They are our allies.
We can feel safe at the Dallas Zoo (dallaszoo.com), Hollywood Feed (hollywoodfeed.com), Match (match.com) and Gensler (gensler.com). EssilorLuxottica (essilorluxottica.com/en), Bank of America (bankofamerica.com), AHF (ahf.org), Santander (santanderbank.com), Comerica (comerica.com) and Amazon (amazon.com) showed up in vivid color.
Corporate support for Dallas Pride, and our greater LGBTQ community, runs the gamut. While some companies made direct financial contributions to Dallas Pride, many others showed their support by backing their ERG affinity groups — which is often designated from a different budget entirely. That distinction is meaningful from a fundraising perspective.
However, from a visibility standpoint, the presence of their employees and allies matters immensely.
By standing with the LGBTQ community you are not only embracing diversity, you are helping to create a world where everyone can live authentically and without fear. Your presence and your participation send a powerful message: that equality is not negotiable and that all individuals, regardless of affectional orientation or gender identity, deserve dignity, opportunity and respect.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (libertymutual.com), Ally (ally.com), Honda (honda.com) and JPMorganChase (jpmorganchase.com) deserve our support in return for their support of us. Target (target.com), American Airlines (aa.com) and iHeart Media (iheartmedia.com) have been our partners for years.
I appreciate the ways these corporations have shown their support, whether through inclusive policies, employee resource groups, community partnerships or public statements during critical times. These efforts go beyond symbolism; they build safer, more welcoming environments and help shift culture in positive, meaningful ways.
Dallas College (dallascollege.edu) and the Dallas Wings (wings.wnba.com) are constant companions to our community. Highland Park Emergency Room (highlandparker.com) and My Eye Doctor (MyEyeDr.com) were both first-time high-level sponsors. Welcome!
The stalwart support of Dallas Voice newspaper (DallasVoice.com) brings attention from a wide audience.
There were 108 valiant entries that bravely marched in our Pride Parade: social clubs, service organizations, churches, dignitaries, the SPCA (aspic.org) and PFLAG (pflagdallas.org). We are grateful to all of them for their uncompromising and steadfast support.
Humans are wired for empathy. Seeing others suffer often stirs emotional discomfort, and helping is a way to alleviate that distress. This response can override even self-preservation instincts in extreme cases.
Many belief systems emphasize the moral importance of helping others, especially the vulnerable. This sense of duty can push people to act despite danger. One PFLAG father told me, “When I see someone suffering, I feel compelled to act, even if it costs me something.”
This is a powerful internal motivator that many people feel, even when the risk is real.
While corporations are under attack for supporting their LGBTQ employees, the LGBTQ employees and their allies may feel pressure within their places of employment. This complicated quagmire makes each corporate sponsor as well as each individual’s participation in this year’s Pride Parade all the more courageous.
Appearing in a Pride Parade is not easy! We cannot take it for granted. As a community, let’s support these corporations that stood alongside us, especially during this difficult year. We thank them for using their platform to champion fairness and compassion. Their corporate voice adds strength to the ongoing fight for justice and equal rights, and we are proud to stand with them in this journey.
To every person and corporation that participated in this (or any other) Pride event, the Dallas LGBTQ community and its allies raise you up with heartfelt appreciation.
Robert Emery is the volunteer coordinator for the Dallas Pride Parade. He also volunteers in a number of other LGBTQ community organizations and efforts, including The Dallas Way and Coalition for Aging LGBT.
Thank you for your many years of leadership. I am changing my business affiliations, when possible, to those who are allies. And keep publishing information as allies shift.