It Is Having A Chilling Effect.

Trump's pogrom against LGBTQ+ people is having a chilling effect on our community.

Middletown PrideFest may have to scale back after funding losses

CT Insider

By Cassandra Day,

Aug 1, 2026

Middletown’s PrideFest, which has lost some $32,000 in sponsorships and grants over the last couple years, stands to potentially lose an additional $25,000 in funding from their partner Wesleyan University for a total projected deficit of $56,700, according to one city official.

"Prior to this year, we had approximately $20,000 from three companies," Skowera said, though she declined to name them. "We are also ineligible for $10,000 in grants as the grantor prevents recipients who have received the grant for three years in a row to apply."

                                          

The LGBTQIA+ Commission facilitates the city's Pride events, which began in June 2019. It holds the distinction of being the largest such celebration in Connecticut, and third largest in New England, behind Boston and Providence, Skowera said. It includes a large parade with over 80 marching groups down Main Street.

This is the doing of one person and his attack on the LGBTQ+ community—his transphobic and homophobic use of government to exert financial pressure designed to destroy the community.

This is not only hurting Pride events, but also pride centers, through direct attacks on their federal funding... The Los Angeles LGBT Center reported that;

“This is a critical win—not only for the nine organizations we represent, but for LGBTQ communities and people living with HIV across the country,” said Jose Abrigo, Lambda Legal’s HIV Project Director and Senior Attorney on the case. “The Court blocked anti-equity and anti-LGBTQ executive orders that seek to erase transgender people from public life, dismantle DEI efforts, and silence nonprofits delivering life-saving services. Today’s ruling acknowledges the immense harm these policies inflict on these organizations and the people they serve and stops Trump’s orders in their tracks.”

The legal win will protect the nine nonprofit organizations across the country from having to shutter programs or silence their advocacy for fear of losing critical federal support while the case proceeds. The ruling ensures organizations such as San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles and New York LGBTQ Centers can continue to operate, advocate, serve people, and save lives without further censorship or threats to their funding.

Beyond this, private businesses are also cutting back on their donations.

LGBTQ+ groups face alarming funding crisis as Republican anti-trans attacks mount, new report finds

A sharp drop in grants leaves queer and trans groups struggling to fight unprecedented legislative attacks.

The Advocate

Christopher Wiggins

Jul 08, 2025

Philanthropic support for LGBTQ+ causes is collapsing just as queer and trans communities face an escalating national crisis. New data from Funders for LGBTQ Issues shows foundation funding for LGBTQ+ organizations in the U.S. dropped sharply to $209.4 million in 2023. That’s a staggering decline of nearly $49 million, or 19 percent, from 2022. When adjusted for inflation, that cut deepens to 22 percent.

Even as the funding picture grows increasingly dire, many philanthropic institutions are opting to remain anonymous. The report omits the names of top funders and grantees for the first time in decades, reflecting a growing trend among donors who fear political retaliation and the increased hostility toward progressive causes under the current administration..

Gemini - Question: Who are they fearing when they request anonymity? And what does it say about our government under Trump?

Who are they fearing when they request anonymity?

Philanthropic foundations, corporate donors, and individual grant-makers are requesting anonymity primarily out of fear of political retaliation, targeted harassment, and financial or legal targeting from the federal government under the Trump administration.

Specifically, donors fear:

• Government investigations and audits: Utilizing federal agencies, regulatory bodies, or tax-exempt status reviews to penalize organizations that support progressive or LGBTQ+ causes.

• Public blacklisting or smear campaigns: Being singled out by administration officials, political allies, or state-level lawmakers, which can damage a business's brand, alienate customer bases, or incite hostile public backlash.

• Loss of partnerships or institutional security: Universities, corporate sponsors, and non-profits face immense pressure to distance themselves from anything labeled "DEI" or "gender ideology" to protect their own institutional funding and survival.

What does it say about our government under Trump?

The fact that philanthropic organizations—traditionally bold and vocal champions of social causes—are forced into hiding reflects an alarming democratic backslide. It suggests several key things about the current administration:

1. The Weaponization of State Power: It indicates a political environment where government authority is perceived—and actively used—as a punitive instrument to suppress dissent, marginalize specific minority populations, and force ideological compliance.

2. A "Chilling Effect" on Free Speech and Association: When civil society organizations and private citizens feel they cannot safely exercise their right to donate to marginalized communities without fear of state reprisal, it creates an atmosphere of authoritarian intimidation.

3. Erosion of Pluralism: By signaling that supporting LGBTQ+ people, reproductive rights, or diversity initiatives makes an entity a target, the administration's policies effectively seek to drive these communities back into the shadows, undermining the foundational American principles of equal protection and pluralism.