History in the Making: The Importance of Pride Month 2025
May 29, 2025
Article

What does Pride mean in 2025?
Surrounded by ever-declining DEI policies, shrinking support and freedom for the Transgender community, and an overall turn to conservatism, Pride has taken on a different meaning this year.
We are reminded in 2025, more than ever, that Pride is a protest—always has been, and always will be.
As the Pride merchandise starts to flow in from our favourite brands, it’s time for a refresher on what good brand allyship looks like in Pride month 2025—and why it is more important than ever.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PRIDE
On June 28, 1970, the very first Pride march took place in New York City. Held on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, this day was at once a celebration and a form of resistance. The Queer community stood together to not only remember those who had died for the cause, but to spread a message—they weren’t going anywhere.
@onlinekyne The history of Pride: the story of Stonewall! #Pride #stonewall
In the decades since, Pride has become a largely global phenomenon. Cities across the world come together for a month of rainbow confetti, sequinned booty shorts, and plenty of late nights. Amidst all the celebrations, however, is the ever-present reminder that this freedom could be taken away at a moment’s notice.
Which brings us to Pride month 2025.
PRIDE MONTH 2025
Since his 2016 campaign trail, U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to rid America of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies. In 2025, he is finally getting his way.
Just hours after he was sworn in as the 75th President of the United States, Trump signed two orders that sought to expel “radical and wasteful” DEI programs. Flash forward to today, and he has signed Executive Order 14173, which seeks to eliminate DEI policies and practices in both the federal government and in the private sector, and Executive Orders 14151 and 14173, which aim to block federal funding for DEI initiatives.
@the.wandering.gays Birmingham Pride 2025, A Message Of Hope 🏳️🌈 #pride #birmingham #birminghampride #gay #trans #lesbian #bi #intersex #nonbinarytiktok #queertiktok #pridemonth #lovewins #loveislove
Outside of these main Executive Orders, Trump has been on an anti-DEI hate campaign, firing federal employees and replacing them with anti-DEI Republicans—think, Elon Musk as the Senior Advisor to the President—making speeches on the dangers of DEI, and overall spreading hate against minority communities.
One community that has been majorly targetted, is the Queer and Transgender communities. Trump has denied requests for gender markers on passports, stated the government will only recognise men and women as determined by gender assigned at birth, sought to move Transgender women into male prisons, continued his efforts to remove Transgender women from the US military, defunded gender-affirming medical care for Transgender youth and barred schools from helping students in social transitioning.
@pinknews A 9,000 square-foot set of quilts highlighting the plight and resistance of transgender Americans was unveiled in Washington, DC this weekend. An art installation showcasing over 250 handmade panels created by US trans citizens was stretched across the National Mall in Washington DC on Saturday (17 May). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) first announced the “Freedom to Be” project in March after asking trans people across the US to design a mural on a quilt which represents their response to the question: “Who would you be if you had the freedom to live into the fullness of who you are?” Several of the quilts, which were laid across the park and garends outside of the US Capitol building over the weekend, featured artwork representing each person’s idea of happiness, while others were adorned with messages of resistance, such as “trans rights are human rights” or calling for “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” for trans people across the US and beyond. The project takes inspiration from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt – an art installation first created in 1987 to honour those who have died due to HIV-related complications. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, the quilt is the largest piece of community folk art and is estimated to be at least 1,300,000 square feet. The ACLU chose to create a similar piece of art following the rising tide of transphobia in the US and across the globe, especially following the inauguration of US president Donald Trump, whose administration continues to implement legislative and policy attacks on the community. Since at least 2020, US state legislatures have continued to introduce a huge number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, particularly those targeting trans people, with a shocking 575 anti-LGBTQ+ bills tracked by the ACLU since the beginning of 2025 alone. #transrights #uscapitol #trumpadministration #translivesmatter #uspolitics #lgbtqia
These dangerous and hateful moves do not operate inside a vacuum. Major allies of the U.S. have started to follow suit, as seen here in the United Kingdom with the Supreme Court’s latest ruling that Transgender women are not women.
For members of the Queer community, there is a strong sense of danger in the air. Each day, it seems more and more rights are taken away. Rights that were hard won decades ago. As such, it is more important than ever for allies to show support for the community. To show that whilst it may seem like it, Queer people are not alone.
BRANDED PRIDE MONTH 2025 CAMPAIGNS
This June, more than ever, it is essential that companies show their support for Pride.
A simple tacky t-shirt with a rainbow slapped on it will just not cut it this year—sorry Target. It’s time for brands to step up and connect with Pride month 2025 in an authentic way, rather than simply using it as a way to boost their ratings.
@bebornsocial Pride is right around the corner 🫶 And as a social agency that connects brands to consumers, we are in a strong position to guide brands into doing the right thing when it comes to supporting the LGBTQ+ community this Pride month and beyond. Check this out if you’re considering an LGBT sandwich filling as your marketing campaign 👀 #Pride #Marketing #learnontiktok
For the Queer community, brand Pride month 2025 activations can make or break their loyalty. Seeing your favourite brand release a meaningful collection, host a Pride month 2025 float, or consistently donate to a Queer charity, can promote life-long loyalty and solidify brand ties.
Alternatively, seeing a brand promote a tacky collection with no genuine effort or throw money at a random LGBTQIA+ charity once in June, only to never mention the gay rights movement again, can strip a brand of its Queer consumers. Why support a brand that has no interest in your right to exist?
The name of the game here is, as ever, authenticity. Brands that consistently show up for the Queer community, who have not bowed down to President Trump’s anti-DEI rampage, will gain a loyal consumer base.
Those who flip flop around and refuse to choose a side—cough, cough, Bud Light—will quickly lose their Queer followers and ally consumers alike.
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