Roughly a quarter of NYC Pride sponsors have quietly backed out this year, because their support was always just a hollow gesture. But not Brooklyn Brewery. For the third year in a row, Brooklyn Brewery is stepping up as the Official Beer and Brewery of NYC Pride, with its Stonewall Inn IPA flowing at the city’s iconic celebrations. And in 2025, the brewery is doing something even bigger—and far more meaningful—than logos on banners and beer tents.
Instead of spending money on a splashy Pride ad campaign, Brooklyn Brewery is putting $25,000 in direct, no-strings-attached aid into the hands of 25 trans, non-binary, and two-spirit New Yorkers through a new program called Brooklyn Brewery Supports. That’s $1,000 per person for rent, food, healthcare, MetroCards—whatever they need to get by and feel supported in a moment when structural violence is making survival harder by the day.
This isn’t about performative support. This is Brooklyn Brewery using its platform to materially support people under attack, and doing so with clarity and urgency.
Supporting a community under attack, with PRIDE
These aren’t abstract politics—they’re daily realities. Trans New Yorkers face double the unemployment rate of the general population, widespread workplace discrimination, and housing instability. Nationwide, trans people are disproportionately impacted by homelessness, violence, and systemic barriers to healthcare. As anti-trans laws spread across state legislatures and public rhetoric grows more hostile, Brooklyn Brewery Supports is a direct response—a tangible, targeted form of solidarity.
The brewery partnered with Angelica Christina, a queer Latina activist, actor, and Stonewall Inn Gives Back board member, to help lead the program and select recipients. She isn’t pulling any punches—and neither is the brewery.
“The trans, nonbinary and two-spirit community have been under massive attack these past several months,” said Angelica Christina. “This current administration is intent on eradicating us while further pushing us into poverty. What Brooklyn Brewery seeks to do is offer monetary support during these precarious times. We hope to uplift the voices of our most vulnerable and at risk when it’s needed the most. If you or someone you know is in need, please nominate yourself and/or them.”
Community over campaigns
This initiative builds on Brooklyn Brewery’s long-standing commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy. Since 2017, it’s partnered with The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI) to brew The Stonewall Inn IPA and raise funds for grassroots LGBTQ+ groups. In 2023, it became a Certified Safe Space through SIGBI, and its Found Family campaign celebrated the bonds of chosen family in queer communities.
But Brooklyn Brewery Supports marks a new step forward: redirecting marketing dollars toward mutual aid and creating platforms to elevate real people, their stories, and their needs—not just for Pride Month, but throughout the year.
President Robin Ottaway summed it up plainly: “As attacks on trans rights escalate, we wanted to use our resources to show up with purpose—by supporting people in our own city who are too often pushed to the margins.”
Pride you can pour—and trust
Applications for Brooklyn Brewery Supports opened on June 5 and will be accepted through the end of 2025. Anyone who identifies as trans, non-binary, or two-spirit, is 21+, and lives in NYC is eligible. Friends and allies can also nominate someone for the $1,000 no-strings gift.
To apply or nominate someone, visit brooklynbrewery.com/brooklynbrewerysupports.
Whether you’re marching with a pint of Stonewall Inn IPA or sitting at home with one, know that this year, that beer is backing something real.
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