Under grey skies at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, thousands of LGBTQI+ activists gathered for what organisers called ‘a rally for our lives’ on 8 June, the final day of WorldPride. As some protesters peeled away to march towards the White House, the mood was clear: this was not the corporate-sponsored Pride of years past. From the security-fenced celebrations in DC to the packed streets of Bangkok and the banned events of Istanbul, Pride has by necessity become more radical.

The choice of themes by Pride organisers reflected this political urgency. New York City Pride’s theme, ‘Rise Up: Pride in Protest’, acknowledged the foundational 1969 Stonewall uprising, when people defied a police raid on a gay bar in Greenwich Village.

London Trans+ Pride’s slogan ‘Existence & Resistance’, Brussels’ ‘Unite, time to protect our rights’ and Mexico City’s ‘Diversity without borders: Justice, Resistance and Unity!’ were among many calls to action that reflected the political realities facing LGBTQI+ people. Along with an affirmation of identity, 2025 Pride events offered a powerful statement of resistance.

USA: Pride in the eye of the storm

The sharpest recent reversals have shown how vulnerable LGBTQI+ rights are to political volatility. The Trump administration has systematically dismantled diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes and, in a direct attack on trans people, revoked gender identity policies and guidelines. Across the USA, Pride events faced a resurgence of political hostility and security threats not seen in a generation.

The centrepiece was WorldPride in Washington DC. The first WorldPride held in the USA, it marked the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the US capital and provocatively brought the glitz to the doors of the anti-rights movement’s current epicentre, the White House. The hostile political environment meant the three-week celebration, which Trump refused to recognise, drew far fewer than the three million visitors expected. In what many saw as a response to the unpredictable climate, Shakira cancelled her scheduled headline performance.

The event offered both festivity and resistance. While other major performers put on shows that drew hundreds of thousands, the week concluded with a more sober rally at the Lincoln Memorial, from where some marched to the White House. Security measures made clear how contested the territory has become: organisers installed security fencing around the entire two-day street party on Pennsylvania Avenue, responding to rumours far-right groups might try to disrupt them.

There was also a notable absence of corporate sponsors compared to previous US Pride events. Many companies that had spent decades building LGBTQI+ marketing campaigns caved under Trump’s pressures to follow his lead on slashing DEI initiatives, calculating they’d earn more by appeasing Trump and conservative customers than by maintaining LGBTQI+ support.

As noted by Orlando Pride organisers, despite businesses acknowledging Pride was ‘their best day of the year’, this year many were hesitant to publicly support events. There’s also been a ripple effect in Canada, where major sponsors pulled out of Toronto Pride, and Australia, where Google and Meta withdrew from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Many activists have long critiqued corporate involvement in Pride. Withdrawal exposed the superficial nature of much corporate partnership, as companies previously seen as allies quickly distanced themselves to embrace Trump. The ‘rainbow capitalism’ era – where companies saw Pride as a vehicle for vacuous, depoliticised marketing – may be over.

While this caused a financial problem – some events reported 40 to 50 per cent funding cuts, forcing them to reduce programming – many activists welcomed the change as an opportunity to return to authentic protest roots. The shift forced organisers to confront fundamental questions about Pride’s purpose and character, with many concluding that smaller, community-driven events might be more meaningful than mass spectacles awash with corporate logos. Some groups actively ended relationships with companies that backtracked on LGBTQI+ support, and pioneered alternative fundraising models focused on community support instead of corporate largesse.

The shift was most visible in the proliferation of small-town Pride events in conservative-leaning areas, with organisers emphasising grassroots community building. In Idaho’s Canyon County, where 72 per cent of voters supported Trump in 2024, organisers pushed ahead despite social media backlash and accusations of ‘promoting immorality’. In Boise, Idaho, a ‘straight pride’ counter-event flopped with only dozens of attendees, only attracting attention when a musician performed a pro-trans protest anthem.

Latin America: landscape of contrasts

Latin America offered a landscape of huge celebrations but also violence and repression.

Brazil’s São Paulo Pride remained one of the world’s biggest events, attracting over three million participants on 2 June. The huge turnout represented both celebration and political mobilisation, with strong government participation. Yet Brazil also offers a stark contrast between a progressive governing executive and a very regressive Congress where right-wing religious movements enjoy strong representation, bringing tensions over LGBTQI+ rights despite the government’s supportive stance.

Mexico City Pride drew over a million marchers as it hosted Latin American Pride on 28 June, while Puerto Vallarta Pride offered round-the-clock events for over 20,000 attendees. In Chile, over 100,000 people mobilised at Santiago Pride on 21 June to demand protections against discrimination and hate speech.

Pride events across the region reflected growing political urgency. Colombia saw over 36 cities participate in celebrations on 22 June even as people continued to mourn the murder of trans activist Sara Millerey in April, renewing calls for the approval of a Comprehensive Trans Law. There was a huge turnout in Peru for Lima’s Pride on 28 June, with participants demanding marriage equality, gender recognition polices and an anti-hate crime law. Puerto Rico’s San Juan Pride on 23 June provided the opportunity for protest against a recently passed Law on the Fundamental Right to Religious Freedom, which would allow healthcare access restrictions on religious grounds.

But tensions were present too. In Guatemala, Pride celebrated its 25th anniversary, with thousands marching through the historic centre of Guatemala City. They did so despite judicial attempts to restrict the event, which in 2024 resulted in a Constitutional Court order requiring police to ensure it respected ‘good customs’. People marched in a context of escalating violence and hate crimes, with at least 37 killings of LGBTQI+ people in 2024 and 11 so far in 2025.

The streets were however silent in Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega’s authoritarian regime has systematically dismantled civil society and independent institutions, making LGBTQI+ organising impossible. The Nicaraguan diaspora instead marched alongside Costa Rican activists in San José.

Europe: celebration amid growing polarisation

Europe’s 2025 Pride calendar unfolded against a backdrop of rising far-right influence and growing political polarisation, with well-attended events coming alongside severe restrictions and violent opposition. As in the USA, this challenging context prompted Pride organisers to embrace more political themes that harked back to the movement’s protest origins.

In Hungary, it was the state that made Pride more political. In April, Hungary became the first European Union state to pass a law criminalising participation in Pride events, following earlier laws banning what it calls ‘homosexual and transsexual propaganda’ for minors and ending legal recognition for trans people. Ahead of Pride, right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vilified the event as ‘repulsive and shameful’, part of his intensifying anti-rights rhetoric in his campaign for re-election in 2026. Despite police warnings of fines up to €500 (approx. US$550) and potential prison sentences for organisers, Budapest Pride on 28 June proceeded unbowed, thanks to the city’s mayor declaring it a municipal event, which meant it didn’t need police authorisation.

With the slogan ‘We are here/home’, intended to counter ruling party claims that diversity is a foreign ideology and emphasise that LGBTQI+ people are an integral part of Hungarian society, the 30th anniversary march drew 100,000 to 200,000 defiant participants. This made it one of Hungary’s largest anti-government protests in recent years. A government that rarely backs down opted not to break up the event with violence, perhaps aware of the 70-plus European Parliament members in attendance and the widespread condemnation that would ensue.

Politics were to the fore in the UK too. London Trans+ Pride offered a defiant reaction to the recent UK Supreme Court ruling that legally defined women based on biological sex, with far-reaching implications for the recognition of trans identities and access to sex-specific services and spaces. Pride organisations in Birmingham, Brighton, London and Manchester reacted to the court’s judgment by banning political parties from participating in their events, denying politicians who repress trans rights the opportunity to paint themselves as allies.

Europe’s Pride calendar was anchored by EuroPride in Lisbon, Portugal, marking the first time a Portuguese-speaking nation hosted the event. Madrid Pride remained Europe’s largest, with over two million attendees, while Spain’s coastal cities added beachside celebrations, and Paris Pride drew huge crowds to its 28 June parade. Nordic countries also held large events: tens of thousands took part in Helsinki Pride and Oslo Pride.

However, some events now require heavy security. In Germany, right-wing groups organised counterprotests claiming to ‘celebrate conventional families’, and plan to show up at Pride events planned for late July and August.

In Poland, Warsaw’s Equality Parade mobilised large numbers under the slogan ‘Love is the Answer’, calling for same-sex marriage, adoption rights and stronger anti-discrimination laws. Despite the recent election of a right-wing president, activists still hope for progress following the defeat of the right-wing populist and nationalist government in 2023, with the country no longer home to ‘LGBT-free zones’. In Romania, where right-wing nationalism is also on the rise, Bucharest Pride marked 20 years with a record turnout of some 30,000. The event wasn’t overshadowed by ‘March for Normality’ counter-protesters carrying crosses and religious icons and calling for an orthodox Christian nation.

The situation was once again worst in Turkey, where authorities banned the march and police violently dispersed the crowd, arresting over 50 people, including six lawyers, three journalists and a member of parliament, and subjecting detainees to severe abuse. Repression occurred in the context of authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s declaration of 2025 as the ‘Year of the Family’ and his intensifying attacks on LGBTQI+ people to shore up support in the wake of recent mass protests. The first Pride event in a Muslim-majority country, Istanbul Pride once drew tens of thousands of participants, but it’s been banned every year since 2015, with authorities citing public safety concerns while systematically criminalising LGBTQI+ visibility.

Asia: breakthrough and repression

Pride was a particularly high-profile event in Thailand, which is positioning itself as Asia’s new Pride destination following the historic entry into force of a marriage equality law in January. Over 1,800 couples have already wed. The Amazing Thailand Love Wins Festival, spanning June, saw events in dozens of cities from Chiang Mai in the north to Phuket in the south.

Bangkok Pride Festival, held under the theme ‘Born This Way: From Marriage Equality to Identity Recognition’, was the focal point of the push for further rights. Over 300,000 people gathered on 1 June for what organisers described as a historic parade that featured a 200-metre rainbow flag and included Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Government officials and businesses are backing a proposal for Thailand to host WorldPride 2030. Central Pattana, Thailand’s leading retail property developer, organised Pride celebrations across 39 shopping centres nationwide. Its economic motivations were clear: Thailand’s six-million-plus LGBTQI+ community is expected to generate around US$4.6 billion a year, with tourism revenue from LGBTQI+ visitors projected to reach an additional US$2 billion. Thai activists are likely to increasingly face the challenges seen in global north countries of maintaining a campaigning edge as Pride becomes part of the corporate and political mainstream.

Japan remains a regional leader, with Tokyo Rainbow Pride drawing around 270,000 people on 7 and 8 June, followed by the first-ever Youth Pride, held with the theme ‘Love yourself as you are’. In South Korea, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival achieved a record attendance of over 170,000 under the motto ‘We Will Never Stop’. It took place despite conservative backlash, in the presence of counter-protesters holding signs reading ‘Stop homosexuality’ and ‘Same-sex marriage destroys families’. Taiwan Pride, due in October, will also remain a significant event, with at least 200,000 people expected to flock to Taipei.

In the Philippines’ capital, Manila, crowds joined Pride celebrations despite the rain on 28 June. Singapore, where same-sex relations became legal in 2022, held Pink Dot – its largest annual LGBTQI+ event – and Pink Fest, a month-long festival.

However, these events took place against a backdrop of extensive criminalisation and repression across much of Asia. Same-sex sexual relations remain illegal in 21 countries across Asia, and seven – Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen – can potentially apply the death penalty. Harsh anti-homosexuality colonial-era laws are also in force in many Pacific Island states.

This means there weren’t public Pride events across much of the region; even participation in private events required a lot of courage in hostile environments. In Indonesia, police arrested 75 people at a closed event they described as a ‘gay party’ on 22 June. They subjected those arrested to invasive health checks and HIV testing as part of a wider crackdown under broadly defined anti-pornography laws.

Africa: underground resistance against criminalisation

The African continent remains the most challenging environment for Pride, with systematic repression and legal barriers forcing LGBTQI+ activists into increasingly underground forms of organising.

The hostile environment is reinforced by organised opposition, embodied in the Pan-African Conference on Family Values held in Nairobi, Kenya in May and reflected in intensified crackdowns carried out by several governments.

Public Pride events are rare beyond South Africa, where they’re spread throughout the year, starting with Cape Town Pride in March and ending with Johannesburg Pride in October. And even there, there are challenges: in South Africa’s Free State, Pride was cancelled due to financial difficulties.

Even if unable to publicly mobilise, LGBTQI+ people across Africa meet in safe spaces to support each other and build communities. A striking example of resistance in adversity came from Nigeria, where Pride in Lagos, organised by Queercity Media under the theme ‘We Are All Together In This’, operated a low-visibility festival from 22 to 29 June.

Underground resistance is a different but equally important form of Pride organising, prioritising community survival and resilience over public visibility and creating spaces for LGBTQI+ people to connect and find solidarity in the face of state-sanctioned persecution. The creativity and determination shown by organisers show that no amount of repression can suppress the human need for identity and belonging.

Resistance as renewal

This year’s Pride season has demonstrated that LGBTQI+ movements continue to evolve, responding to the assault on rights and seizing opportunities as they arise. The themes chosen by organisers worldwide – existence, resistance, solidarity, protest – reflect a global movement that understands it’s under siege but won’t be silenced.

The private sector exodus that might have threatened to diminish Pride events in the USA and elsewhere has instead catalysed a return to authentic community organising. While funding cuts have created hardships, they’ve also offered a form of liberation from the threat of corporate capture.

Ongoing shifts represent more than pragmatic adaptation to reduced funding: they reflect a deeper understanding that Pride’s power lies in community solidarity more than external validation. The proliferation of grassroots events in conservative towns across the USA, the huge turnouts despite political hostility in Eastern Europe and the creative underground organising in restrictive contexts across Africa and Asia demonstrate that mobilisation doesn’t depend on corporate sponsorship or government approval. Some events might have been smaller and less polished, but they felt more genuine and politically urgent.

Immense challenges remain. Same-sex relations are still criminalised across much of the world, anti-LGBTQI+ legislation continues to advance in numerous countries and violence against LGBTQI+ people, particularly trans people, persists and grows. But a political backlash aimed at pushing LGBTQI+ people back into invisibility is being met with greater solidarity, more defiant themes and the building of broader coalitions of support.

The path forward points toward a movement where strength derives from community bonds rather than state or corporate approval, where celebration and resistance intertwine and where the global nature of attacks and response becomes increasingly clear. No amount of political hostility or corporate retreat will erase the simple fact that LGBTQI+ people have always existed everywhere and always will, and have the right to live with pride.

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