US EditionA More Defensive Pride: Activists Say Celebrations Are More Critical as US, Conservative States Rescind LGBTQ Protections
- Cities across the U.S. held LGBTQ+ Pride events in late June 2025, including Manhattan's Rise Up: Pride in Protest parade with over 700 groups marching.
- These Pride events followed a decade of legal progress but occurred amid growing political polarization and a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ laws, particularly in Republican-led states like Indiana.
- Activists like Xander Briere and Jahnel Butler highlighted that the LGBTQ+ community is struggling to maintain its existence amid increasing hostility and efforts to erase it, while major corporate sponsors have scaled back financial support for Pride events.
- Data show nearly half of transgender and nonbinary adults want to move from hostile areas, and Indiana's Governor Mike Braun signed executive orders targeting gender ideology, with Illinois strengthening protections and leaders like JB Pritzker pledging continued support.
- These conditions frame Pride celebrations as acts of resistance and recommitment to equality amidst ongoing rights debates, denial of protections, and real emotional costs linked to anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies.
24 Articles
24 Articles
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A more defensive Pride: Activists say celebrations are more critical as US, conservative states rescind LGBTQ protections
Christopher Colwell of Valparaiso, Indiana, teared up a bit as his grandmother sang with her church choir during Northwest Indiana Pridefest earlier this month, calling the moment a haven of acceptance in a state and nation that’s become increasingly hostile to queer men like him. The grandson and grandma briefly embraced after her performance on a stage adorned with rainbow-colored balloons and a giant Pride flag. “I can’t stand the current cli…
NYC, San Francisco, and other US cities cap LGBTQ+ Pride month with a mix of party and protest - The Boston Globe
Pride celebrations typically weave politics and protest together with colorful pageantry, but this year’s iterations took a decidedly more defiant stance as Republicans, led by President Trump, have sought to roll back LGBTQ+ friendly policies.
“What they do to one of us, they do to all of us” - Rainbow Chorus Summer concert
On the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, Brighton’s Rainbow Chorus gave an emotional, defiant and joyful concert under the title Anthems In Colour.And they had a battle of their own with technical issues. No stage lighting because it had been stolen and a last-minute sound system didn’t take the edge off their enthusiasm, harmonic joys and strong message of hope - even if it grew increasingly difficult to see them!Under the dynamism of musical…
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