"Analysis of social media posts by the country's biggest companies found mentions of Pride had plummeted by 92% since 2023, mirroring a trend seen in large American firms. The findings come after the US president, Donald Trump, signed a raft of executive orders in 2025 that overturned federal government diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, leading companies on both sides of the Atlantic to rebrand, scale back and even scrap fairness policies."
"In 2023, a total of 52 posts made on their Facebook, Instagram and X accounts contained the word or hashtag Pride in connection with Pride events, Pride months, weeks and weekends, and employee LGBTQ+ networks. By 2024, the number of posts had dropped by 48% to 27 falling to just four in 2025, an 85% year-on-year decline and down 92% from 2023's total."
"HSBC remained the British company most likely to post on social media about Pride throughout the period analysed although its posts, mirroring the wider trend, fell by 94%. AstraZeneca, Shell and Unilever were least likely to post about Pride at all from 2023 to 2025. A tally of social media posts does not reflect the breadth of our approach, HSBC said in a statement. HSBC says it is committed to inclusion for all our colleagues and customers'."
Mentions of Pride on main customer-facing social media accounts of the 10 largest UK-listed or headquartered companies and the 10 largest US firms by market capitalisation fell from 52 posts in 2023 to 27 in 2024 and four in 2025. Overall Pride references declined 92% from 2023 to 2025, an 85% year-on-year drop between 2024 and 2025. US president Donald Trump signed executive orders in 2025 overturning federal DEI programmes, prompting companies to rebrand, scale back or scrap fairness policies. HSBC remained the British company most likely to post about Pride but saw a 94% reduction. AstraZeneca, Shell and Unilever posted least about Pride during 2023–2025. HSBC said a tally of posts does not reflect the breadth of its approach and affirmed commitment to inclusion for colleagues and customers.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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