More companies are rejecting radical DEI, but the battle is far from over

What Your Company’s Pride Sponsorship Supports

Many Americans are asking why corporations continue to fund LGBTQ Pride events that include programming or vendors that most can agree are seen as inappropriate for children. At certain events, attendees may encounter nightclubs, alcohol brands, cannabis dispensaries, or drag performances that often contain sexually suggestive elements. Many families would not ordinarily choose to expose their children to these types of environments, leading some to question why such programming is viewed differently when presented under the banner of LGBTQ+ Pride or “inclusion.” Before sponsoring socially contentious events, companies should carefully consider how they want their brands to be perceived by consumers, shareholders, employees, and the broader public. While stakeholders may hold differing opinions on many social issues, protecting the well-being of children remains a widely shared concern. Corporate sponsorships communicate a company’s values and priorities, making it important to evaluate whether those partnerships support its long-term business objectives and appeal to a broad customer base rather than a narrow segment of the market. NYC Pride is sponsored by Target, which publicly committed in 2025 to stop sponsoring nonbusiness causes. The event includes Youth Pride, a program specifically designed for LGBTQIA+ youth, their families, and allies, with the stated goal of  “empower[ing] …

The Federal Bureaucracy Helped Build DEI’s Infrastructure. A New Rule Seeks to Change That.

1792 Exchange Executive Vice President Greg Scott was referenced by the Daily Signal regarding a proposed rule from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that would rescind some of the required annual reporting from businesses categorizing employees’ race and sex. 1792 Exchange supports the Commission’s proposal as a long-overdue course correction that reorients the agency to the actual text and original intent of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This change would reduce unnecessary regulatory burden, reaffirm equal opportunity for all, and allow businesses to get back to the work of creating value. Every American business has been treated as a potential suspect, and every employee has been reduced to an overly simplified data point in a group identity spreadsheet. Read the full story at the Daily Signal

Minecraft’s “Hive of Harmony” Targets Kids with Activist Messaging

1792 Exchange Executive Vice President Greg Scott spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation about “Hive of Harmony,” a free Minecraft Marketplace add-on released to coincide with Stockholm Pride. The download gives players rainbow-themed hives that grow twice as fast, an “Ally Queen” bee, and multiple pride flag variants, including the transgender flag. Ideological propaganda has no place in games targeted at children. Unfortunately, many companies have not gotten the message that Americans are fed up with corporate activism on behalf of radical and dangerous causes. What’s even worse than the messaging itself is that online gaming is the new playground for predators, and with this new feature, Minecraft is making it easier to identify and target the most vulnerable children. As a company infamous for its viruses, Microsoft should be more sensitive to what it is purposely infecting its products with. Every parent should know just what these companies are up to and be vigilant about what their children are doing with their screen time. Read the full story at the Daily Caller

Microsoft Directs Benevity to Drop SPLC Filter

After engagement from Inspire Investing and others, Microsoft has directed Benevity to stop using the SPLC’s “hate map” to filter nonprofits from its employee gift-matching program. In its “Max the Match” document, Microsoft states any nonprofit organization that “verifies its 501c3 or equivalent status will be available to Microsoft employees.” The Daily Signal highlighted several organizations, including the 1792 Exchange, engaging companies on behalf of shareholders to ensure charitable giving is viewpoint neutral. The 1792 Exchange is pleased to work alongside Inspire Investing, Bowyer Research, the Heritage Foundation, and many others in this important work. 1792 Exchange created this resource to track how companies are responding to the growing controversy surrounding the SPLC and Benevity and encourages companies that have made changes to their charitable giving programs to disclose those changes to their customers and shareholders.

ESG Rating Inconsistencies and Their Ideological Ends

Allen Mendenhall’s recent piece on MSCI ranking SpaceX in the same ESG tier as Russia asks a fair question: how does a rocket company advancing American innovation get scored the same as a state waging war? Unbeknownst to many, inconsistencies are common when it comes to ESG portfolios and ratings. In 2022, S&P dropped Tesla from its S&P 500 ESG Index while ExxonMobil landed in the top ten. The EV maker scored worse on an “Environmental, Social, Governance” rating than a major oil company. In fact, according to MIT Sloan’s Aggregate Confusion Project, ESG ratings from major agencies correlate at only about 0.61. Compare that to credit ratings from Moody’s and S&P, which agree 99% of the time. Companies often receive vastly different ESG rating scores from ratings providers, even ones that share a pro-ESG bias. These are the kinds of inconsistencies that led Elon Musk, CEO of the second-largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world, to declare that ESG is a scam. Mendenhall concludes himself: the SpaceX rating shows ESG functioning less as “socially conscious investing” and more as “a mechanism for advancing ideological ends.”

‘CULTURAL CORRECTION’: 10 Major Brands Dial Back the LGBTQ Pride