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June is a month dedicated to celebrating Pride, with massive parades and other events taking place across the country. Last week Toyota joined another big brand in sponsoring LA Pride, one of the biggest events in the country. However, just weeks earlier, Toyota and several of its franchisees were identified as the biggest corporate donors to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians by Data For Progress.
Activist group Pride Company Accountability Project outlining a list of companies and their contributions to politicians opposing or opposing important laws such as Equality Act, which would prevent discrimination against persons based on gender identity or sexual orientation on a national basis. The data becomes more specific, describing companies that also sponsor Pride events, and of that group, Toyota and its franchisees contributed nearly twice as much as the rest with $601,500 in donations from 2019 to March 2022.
Source: Data For Progress
While the automaker’s participation in the Pride event is a laudable move, the simultaneous contribution (even at the franchise level) to those in power hindering human rights progress is a confusing juxtaposition.
Most of the money came from Toyota Gulf States Inc., an independent distributor of Toyota vehicles, which gave $580,000 to Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The governor opposed the Equality Act and has taken extensive action against LGBTQ+ Texas during his tenure. Recently, the governor officially directing state officials to investigate gender-affirming operations for trans teens as “child abuse.”
The same group of Toyota franchisees also awarded $15,000 to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has come under fire this year for equating Austin Pride with “human sexuality instructions” and alleging that the event violated Texas law.
A spokesman for Toyota Motor North America provided the following statement when asked for comment.
“Please note that most political giveaways associated with ‘Toyota’ are not related to our company (Toyota Motor North American or TMNA). All but $5,000 of the referred contributions were made by other companies in which TMNA has no financial interest, influence, or control in how they manage their political donations. We respectfully request that the referred company be clarified.”
In response to this, Director of Data Communications For Advances McKenzie Wilson stated that “campaign finance researchers typically combine franchises in the same platform.”
He continued, “Most companies often use a complex network of state-specific PACs, subsidiaries, franchises, etc. to obscure their corporate giving and allow them to contribute more than they would otherwise if there were a contribution or expense limit.”
This is not an isolated occurrence in the auto industry. General Motors – the signatory company Human Rights Campaign business statement against anti-LGBTQ+ law – also donated to politicians who have voted in favor of the act. Abbott is again the main beneficiary of contributions totaling $48,500 over the past three years.
A GM representative acknowledged that the company signed off on the HRC statement and that its political contributions went to officials whose ideas were most aligned with its goals, apparently implying that it could also mean someone like Greg Abbott.
“GM employee-funded PACs support the selection of US federal and state candidates from both sides who promote sound business policies, support American workers and understand the importance of a strong domestic auto industry as we pursue the future of all-electric vehicles. . GM has been very vocal about our commitment to the LGBTQ community in our company policies and we are a signatory to the Human Rights Campaign Business Statement Against Anti-LQBTQ State Legislation.”
With complex business interests across the country, it’s no surprise that Toyota and General Motors choose to put their money across the political spectrum. But as we reflect on the social progress achieved this Pride month, it’s important to consider that sometimes corporate sponsorship and support comes at a price.
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