The British LGBT Awards have dropped sponsorship deals with Shell and BP after nominees and judges began pulling out of the competition.
Amid the latest cultural backlash against the fossil fuel industry, the awards event said it had “revised” its corporate sponsors. Overnight, Shell and BP were removed from its list of 2023 supporters.
The announcement comes after the comedian Joe Lycett and the drag artist Cheddar Gorgeous joined a host of nominees and judges dissociating themselves from the event. On Thursday, Divina de Campo was the latest star to reject her nomination, telling organisers: “There’s no pride on a dead planet.”
The competition, which honours queer and LGBT celebrities, role models and organisations, said it was “saddened” by its stars’ withdrawals but added: “We’re grateful for those who have spoken out on such an important issue.”
It said: “While the supporters of the event were chosen based on their proactive approach and firm commitment to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion among our LGBTQ+ community, we fully acknowledge the concerns that have been raised.
“The British LGBT Awards is dedicated to the long-term uplifting of the community and that means all of our community. As a result we have revised our supporters this year and once this year’s event is over we will be looking at our long-term strategy.”
De Campo said on Instagram she could not “in good conscience” accept her nomination for influencer of the year.
“It doesn’t mean a whole lot being an influencer when everyone is dead or fighting over food,” she said. “We are living through a time where huge corporate greed is creating untold misery for millions in the UK and [BP and Shell] are a big part of that. Allowing these companies to pinkwash themselves is not the answer when they are part of the problem.”
On Thursday, climate campaigners said they had lost count of the number of participants who had pulled out of the awards, after their letter-writing campaign to nominees had snowballed. They welcomed the awards organisers’ announcement but said they would push ahead with protests outside the event on Friday night.
Fossil Free Pride, which began the campaign earlier this month, said the awards must now drop sponsorship deals with HSBC, Santander and Macquarie Capital for their financing of the fossil fuel industry, as well as Amazon, Tesco and Nestlé. “We organised this protest to say that these events should be for queer people and not a parade of corporate logos,” a spokesperson said.
But there were claims the campaign was self-defeating for a marginalised community that needs resources to fight for rights and recognition. In an op-ed in the LGBTQ+ magazine Diva, its editor, Linda Riley, pointed out some of those speaking out against the British LGBT Awards took corporate sponsorship for their own work.
“So many LGBTQIA charities are supported by corporates, so let’s be careful what we wish for and try to spend less time knocking our own, and maybe devote a little more time to challenging the atrocities of the far right,” Riley said.
A spokesperson for BP said: “We understand the organisers’ decision, but of course this is disappointing for BP and our people – and over 15,000 work for BP in the UK. At BP we promote an environment where everyone can be their best and true selves and feel like they belong, with no exceptions, all year round. That’s why we were proud to work with the British LGBT Awards to celebrate individuals and organisations that share these beliefs and recognise diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Shell, which had been listed as a “supporting sponsor”, previously said its deal with the awards had been arranged by its LGBT staff network and amounted to a table at the event and an advert in its brochure highlighting its commitment to inclusivity.
A spokesperson for Proud@Shell, told the Guardian this week: “Shell puts diversity, equity and inclusion at the heart of its employee culture and believes that a fully inclusive workplace allows our business to flourish. It’s important to highlight this through our presence at events like this one, and it’s regrettable that a few people have reacted so negatively, especially as we’re committed to becoming a net zero emissions energy business by 2050.”
