Anheuser-Busch has ended its sponsorship of yet another Pride event—this time in its own backyard—drawing disappointment from LGBTQIA+ advocates and local businesses in St. Louis.
After more than three decades of support, the brewing giant has pulled its sponsorship of PrideFest St. Louis, leaving the long-running event facing a significant funding shortfall.
“We are devastated this year that our hometown brewer, Anheuser-Busch, has declined to sponsor PrideFest after more than 30 years of partnership,” said Pride St. Louis in a statement released on 25 March. “At a time when many sponsors have already reduced their contributions, this decision is especially painful. We are saddened to lose such a historic supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community in St. Louis.”
The withdrawal has contributed to a $150,000 shortfall in comparison to last year’s festival funding, according to the organisation.
Jordan Braxton, Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach for Pride St. Louis, told KMOV that the decision was delivered by phone. “They decided after 30 years they would no longer sponsor our event,” she said. “That hurt us very much because we are all homegrown here in St. Louis.”
The move follows a similar decision by Anheuser-Busch to pull out of San Francisco’s 2025 Pride celebration earlier in March.
Braxton believes the company’s decision reflects broader political pressures against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. “The president’s always talking about coming after people that disagree with him, and of course, the DEI cuts are having a lot of effect,” she said.
Marketing expert and Webster University professor Eric Rhiney suggested the company is continuing efforts to regain favour with its conservative customer base after facing backlash in 2023. That controversy followed a brief social media partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which prompted a boycott and widespread conservative outrage, including viral videos of people destroying Bud Light products. The company later distanced itself from the campaign, with CEO Brendan Whitworth issuing an apologetic statement and its European CEO pledging to avoid “controversial” issues in future.
In response to the latest setback, Pride St. Louis has launched the #45for45 campaign, encouraging the community to donate in honour of the festival’s 45th anniversary.
Local businesses have also begun to take action. Chad Fox, owner of Rehab Bar and Grill, announced his venue would no longer stock Anheuser-Busch products. “To stand with our LGBTQIA+ community, we have decided to stop carrying all Anheuser-Busch products,” Fox told First Alert 4. “While for many years corporations have led efforts in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, this is yet another targeted attack on our community.”
Greenfinch Theater and Dive’s owners echoed the sentiment. In a Facebook post, they revealed they would donate 25% of the proceeds from existing Anheuser-Busch stock to the local non-profit Metro Trans Umbrella Group. They plan to host an event on 4 April to help clear the remaining inventory.
