KANSAS CITY - "Cancelling Pride is not an option," but organizers of the 45th annual summer celebration say they need some help funding it.
Pride St. Louis President Marty Zuniga says the organization needs to raise $150,000 for June's PrideFest. A major contributor to that deficit, he says, is the backing out of longtime sponsor Anheuser-Busch.
"We were simply told it wasn't a priority anymore and their focus is elsewhere," he says of A-B's explanation. "It's especially hurtful considering our community is under attack and we have always supported them by purchasing their products."
The hometown brewery giant was one of the first sponsors more than three decades ago, when Pride was a march in the Central West End.
To bridge the funding gap, Zuniga is asking people to give $45, for the event's 45th anniversary. He was also inspired by grassroots fundraising for Minneapolis' pride parade after Target pared back its diversity efforts.
Should PrideFest St. Louis attendees be prepared to pay an entrance fee?
"Nothing is off the table," Zuniga says. That also includes Coors Light.