Minneapolis, MN – On June 28 Taking Back Pride (TBP) took to the streets ahead of the Twin Cities Pride (TC Pride) parade. The activists were demanding TC Pride cut ties with cops and with the corporations that profit from climate change, racism and the genocide in Palestine, and instead use its huge platform to stand against the massive wave of legal and physical attacks upon LGBTQ people, especially trans people.
TBP says TC Pride ignores the radical legacy of Pride and needs to continue fighting for LGBTQ liberation. Protesters want more than a rainbow State Fair that mainly appeals to corporate sponsors and conservative elements.
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.
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.”
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.
Minneapolis, MN – For the seventh year running, community members disrupted the Twin Cities Pride parade, June 30, to protest the inclusion of cops and corporations. Their inclusion comes at the expense of queer community members who want the event to honor the spirit of radical resistance Pride came out of and to continue the fight for LGBTQ liberation. This year, more than 1000 protesters marched with the Taking Back Pride Coalition for not only LGBTQ liberation, but especially for Palestinian liberation.
Tallahassee, FL – On June 30, two days after the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, students and community members gathered at Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society’s annual pride talent show, one of the longest-running non-corporate pride events in the city.
Tallahassee, FL – On June 29, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) along with other activist organizations held a rally in remembrance of Stonewall, the 1969 queer uprising that led to the creation of the current LGBTQ rights movement that exists around the world.
Around ten attendees joined together to talk about the history of the Stonewall Riot and the progressive movements that represent the spirit of Stonewall that exist today.
San Jose, CA – On Saturday, June 22, around 200 people gathered in Saint James Park to celebrate the first San Jose Peoples’ Pride.. The event focused primarily on reclaiming the radical militant origins of Pride.
Drusie Kazanova of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization emceed the event and started the program by saying, “We are here today to take back the radical, militant origins of pride. We do not align with the corporations and politicians who try to co-opt our movement while they enable the genocide that Israel is committing against Palestinians.” She emphasized the importance of calling out mainstream Pride celebrations’ ties with genocidal politicians and corporations, such as Lockheed Martin and Nancy Pelosi.
Denver, CO – On Sunday, June 23, the Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) organized a protest at Denver’s annual Pride Parade to draw attention to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people and the complicity of companies like Lockheed Martin in that genocide. Denver’s Pride Parade was sponsored by several arms contractors that sell weapons to Israel, like Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. The protest was attended by about 500 people.
Los Angeles, CA – On June 16, in the heart of Boyle Heights, a neighborhood known for its Chicano culture and activism, hundreds gathered for Orgullo Fest. The yearly festival brings together different communities and allows participants to celebrate both their Chicano and LGBTQ identities in an important cultural and social celebration.
Orgullo Fest was born out of a grassroots effort by local activists and leaders who recognized the need for an inclusive space. Juarez, an events organizer from the neighborhood, managed this year’s celebration.
Mandeville, LA – In a groundbreaking advance for the Louisiana LGBTQ rights movement, a Pride parade has premiered in Mandeville for the first time on June 1. Organized by Queer Northshore, over 500 people signed up to participate in the historic march called “PRIDE Northshore 2024.” The parade’s slogan was, “Y’all Means All.”
Marshfield, WI – Over 100 community members packed the chambers and overflowed into the lobby of an otherwise routine common council meeting, May 9, in the 18,900 person town of Marshfield, Wisconsin. On the agenda was a period devoted to open comments from the public, and religious reactionaries in the community had attempted to rally comment in opposition to the upcoming Marshfield Pride event in June.
Tallahassee, FL – For the last couple of months, I have binge-watched hundreds of hours of YouTube content related to RuPaul's Drag Race. I find myself emotional watching drag queens lip sync to Demi Lovato’s, Sorry Not Sorry. It is excellent television. Seeing talented queer people, especially those of color, grace the screen moves one. Even Shangela's epic read of Mimi Imfurst brings me to tears. That read is absolute poetry.
New York, NY – Thousands gathered at Foley Square in New York City on Sunday, June 26, for the fourth annual Queer Liberation March, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition. It is a yearly event to commemorate Pride Month by going back to its roots as a protest and an alternative to the corporate Pride events in the city.
