Human Rights Campaign Ends Sponsorships with Northrop Grumman and RTX After Activist Pressure Over Gaza

HRC severs ties with major defense contractors amid ongoing advocacy

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in the United States, has confirmed that it has ended sponsorship relationships with defense contractors Northrop Grumman and RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies) after more than two years of sustained pressure from activist groups calling for divestment over those firms' roles in Israel's campaign in Gaza — a conflict that some human rights experts have described as genocide.

Activist groups including the Gender Liberation Movement, the Adalah Justice Project, ACT UP NY, Writers Against the War on Gaza, and No Pride in Genocide began pressuring HRC shortly after the 2023 escalation of the war, demanding that the organization cut ties with weapons manufacturers and refuse future partnerships with corporations they say profit from militarism and human rights abuses.

“We are not currently sponsored by Northrop Grumman or Raytheon,” a HRC spokesperson told The Advocate.

The spokesperson described the situation in Gaza as devastating, citing starvation of children and families and violence against civilians and aid workers. They added that HRC has spoken out about the crisis and the rising cost of extremism at home and abroad, and noted how Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-LGBTQ hatred can be interconnected.

HRC emphasized that its primary focus remains advancing LGBTQ+ equality in the United States. The organization said it selects national corporate partners based on demonstrated commitments to equality and that its corporate advocacy aims to make schools, workplaces, and communities safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people.

Northrop Grumman ranks among the world’s largest military contractors. According to the American Friends Service Committee, Northrop's contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense from 2008 through August 2024 total more than $173.5 billion. The company supplies missiles and guided munitions, electronic warfare systems, ammunition, military aviation systems, cybersecurity solutions, and surveillance technologies.

Activists put forward three specific demands to HRC:

1. Cut ties with all weapons manufacturers and institutions profiting from genocide and militarism in Palestine, the U.S., and worldwide.
2. Pledge not to enter into future partnerships with such weapons manufacturers and institutions.
3. Publicly call for an immediate arms embargo on Israel to halt the flow of bombs.

While HRC has ended its current sponsorship arrangements, the organization did not publicly commit to a permanent ban on future partnerships with defense firms, nor did it call for an arms embargo on Israel — omissions that several activist groups criticized.

In a joint statement, the Adalah Justice Project and the Gender Liberation Movement said their campaign would continue. They argued that HRC and similar organizations must prioritize the safety and well-being of affected communities over proximity to political and corporate power, and that achieving freedom and justice for queer and trans people requires confronting systems that harm communities everywhere.

HRC reaffirmed it will continue representing its roughly 3.6 million members and supporters to advance LGBTQ+ civil rights in the United States. The spokesperson said the organization is concentrating its efforts on combating anti-LGBTQ+ extremism, protecting democracy, and building more inclusive institutions where LGBTQ+ people live and work — including schools, workplaces, legislatures, courthouses, and the White House.

Originally reported by The Advocate.