Despite right-wing backlash, there’s no shortage of brands promoting Pride Month products

The trend: A slew of retailers and brands are releasing Pride-themed apparel, beauty, and accessories this year.

• Abercrombie & Fitch’s Made With Pride collection features 30 new gender-inclusive garments designed for summer festival and event outfitting. The brand also pledged to donate $400,000 to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that works on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth.
• Kohl’s Pride capsule collection includes a mix of products with bright colors, patterns, and categories the retailer says are designed by and for the community and its allies. The retailer also pledged to donate $100,000 to The Trevor Project.
• JC Penney’s Hope & Wonder Pride Month Collection is centered around the theme of “Standing with Pride” and features a range of apparel and beauty products. The retailer is donating net profits for the collection to the Point Foundation, which grants scholarships to LGBTQ+ students in postsecondary education.
• Walmart’s new line of LGBTQ+-themed merchandise is centered around the slogan #PrideAlways. It includes items from companies founded by members of the LGBTQ+ community, such as stationery company Ink Meets Paper and apparel and accessories line Bianca Designs.

Why it matters: The wide array of Pride-related initiatives is notable given that two major brands—Bud Light and Target—had high-profile missteps related to the LGBTQ+ community and Pride month last year.

• In response to customer backlash over its Pride collection last year, Target pulled some LGBTQ-themed merchandise from its shelves just ahead of Pride Month.
• The retailer pointed to the “strong reaction” to its Pride-related assortment as one of the headwinds that hurt its financial results.
• Target reduced the number of items in its collection this year and is only selling them in about half of its nearly 2,000 stores (they’ll also be available online).

The big takeaway: While there are some scattered loud voices pushing back against inclusivity, there’s good reason to embrace the LGBTQ+ community: Nine percent of adults worldwide and 10% in the US identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and far more are allies.