West Lafayette, IN – On Monday, July 7, after months of dedicated community action, the West Lafayette city council voted unanimously to pass a resolution protecting gender-affirming care.
Chicago, IL – On a stormy Fourth of July, 1000 Chicagoans marched to oppose Trump’s racist and reactionary agenda. The people marched to oppose Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that he signed into law Friday.
The new law slashes safety net programs that feed and educate children and provided healthcare for the poor and disabled. It also adds an estimated $3.3 trillion in debt and gives billionaires tax cuts. More tax dollars will now go for deportations, police repression, Israel’s genocide in Gaza and war against Iran.
New York, NY – On June 29, upwards of 2500 New Yorkers gathered at the AIDS Memorial for the 7th annual Queer Liberation march which was organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition. The Queer Liberation March is organized to reclaim pride and honor its militant history. It is organized to counter the annual Pride March which takes place on the same day but has become a stage for corporations, cops and liberal politicians to whitewash the legacy of the struggle for queer rights.
Minneapolis, MN – On June 26, the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN), a national network of anti-war and anti-imperialist grassroots organizations, hosted its first ever Pride webinar, tackling the important subject of pinkwashing.
Appleton WI – On Friday, June 27, 100 community members gathered at Houdini Plaza in bustling downtown Appleton for Hate Free Outagamie’s rally to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.
This action, cosponsored by Diverse and Resilient, the Green Bay Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization, focused on the significance of the uprising, and the lessons it teaches us about the present moment.
Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, June 28, more than 60 people gathered at Cathedral Square Park in the light of downtown Milwaukee, to commemorate the Stonewall Uprisings and the Black Nite Brawl.
Denver, CO – On Saturday, June 28, over 200 members of Denver's queer and trans community, along with supporters, gathered at Cheesman Park for a People's Pride March on the 56th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion.
San Jose, CA – On Saturday, June 21, around 280 people rallied at Saint James Park in downtown for the Second Annual People's Pride, a march and celebration spearheaded by community organizers of San Jose to return LGBTQ Pride Month mobilizations to their radical and militant roots.
Romaine Charite, a San Jose transgender and nonbinary activist of the San Jose People's Pride organization, emceed. They started by leading chants such as “Donald Trump has got to go” and “Trans rights are here to stay.”
Grand Rapids, MI – While the Grand Rapids Pride committee was pausing festivities for the afternoon due to nearly triple-digit temperatures on Sunday, June 22, over 100 community members marched with cold compresses and face misting water bottles through the Festival to nearby Rosa Parks Circle, demanding “No war with Iran.”
New Orleans, LA – On the evening of June 14, around 30 community members and organizers gathered outside of Louis Armstrong Park to protest Shell Oil’s Pride sponsorship and march ahead of the New Orleans Pride parade.
“If Shell gets to roll through our streets with a police escort, then we are going to march. You don’t get to attack us and expect us to play nice,” said Molly Frayle from the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP).
Tallahassee, FL- Tallahassee SDS hosted its annual pride talent show at The Bark on June 12. Members of the community were encouraged to share their talents in celebration of Tallahassee’s diverse queer community.
Queer community members came together to show solidarity in a state where the LGBTQ community has been increasingly under attack by the state government’s Republican supermajority. Several bills have been passed and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, including bans on gender-affirming care, removals of classes deemed “woke” due to the inclusion of LGBTQ history, and restrictions on the discussion of LGBTQ identities in the classrooms.
Pride month this year starts with Trump attacking the LGBTQ community every chance he gets. No matter how desperate and unbearable the attacks from reactionaries become, we must remember that our resistance and history is greater than anything the Trump Administration or any other enemy can throw at us. Pride month is a reminder of our courageous history, of our struggle to win our democratic rights.
Mandeville, LA – On Saturday, June 7, over 1000 protestors gathered in Mandeville to celebrate the second annual Northshore Pride. The streets were closed along the Mandeville Lakefront for the determined protesters to march carrying signs and flags in 100-degree temperatures. Supportive crowds from diverse Northshore communities lined the route, creating a buffer between the marchers and small groups of Christian-fundamentalist counter-protesters.
Seattle, WA – On Saturday, May 24, Seattle’s LGBTQ community and their allies protested an anti-queer, Christian evangelist rally at the Capitol Hill neighborhood’s Cal Anderson Park. They protested the rally that was called by the group Mayday USA, which aims to classify transgender people as mentally ill and to legally define life as starting at conception.
Although the Seattle community outnumbered the reactionaries, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) wasted no time in acting as the reactionaries’ personal armed guard.
Appleton, WI – Hundreds of workers, queer activists and community members flooded Houdini Plaza in Appleton, Wisconsin, on May 1, International Workers Day, kicking off a march that would face police repression before triumphantly returning to cheers of public support.
Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, April 19, Students for a Democratic Society held their Queer Rave fundraiser at The Bark. The event had been in the works for a couple of months, but after the mass shooting at Florida State University on April 17, SDS members were unsure of how to move forward. On that tragic Thursday, two non-students – Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba – were killed and six others were wounded by the shooter.
The April 5 demonstrations across the country saw hundreds of thousands taking to the streets. Countless others were inspired by the numbers of people willing to take a stand right now against the Trump administration. At these marches were everyday people from all walks of life; workers, students, activists and families were raising their voices to demand change. There will be more of these kinds of actions ahead. They are a test for us. Will we step up to unite all who can be united against Trump and the billionaire class he serves? If we sit this one out, we lose by forfeit.
New Orleans, LA – On April 7, over 20 students and faculty members showed up to protest Amy Coney Barrett’s talk at Loyola Law School. Barrett is a Supreme Court Justice appointed by Donald Trump in 2020. She is one of the most conservative justices, who pushed forward the overturn of Roe v Wade in 2022.
Orlando, FL – On March 31, University of Central Florida (UCF) Students for a Democratic Society, Young Poet Society, and Young Democratic-Socialists of America came together to hold an open mic and fundraiser for Trans Day of Visibility, with all proceeds going towards Central Florida Mutual Aid’s Trans Safety Fund.
The goal of this event was to platform trans and queer voices on campus amid attacks on LGBTQ rights, including the recent unanimous decision by the UCF board of trustees to make it a conduct charge to use a bathroom that does not correspond with one’s “sex assigned at birth.”
New Orleans, LA – On the afternoon of April 5, over 1000 New Orleanians gathered in Lafayette Square Park downtown. They were gathered as part of a national day of action to demand end the attacks on immigrants, on freedom of speech, students, union rights, LGBTQ folks and many other segments of the people.