Pride 2025

There’s something profoundly different about Pride when it’s not just a party. And I know for many in my LGBTQ+ fam it has never been a party. Don’t get me wrong — I love a parade and the excuse to day-drink with glitter on my cheeks (both) as much as the next person. But Pride 2025 has felt heavier, more urgent. I came out as gay in 2005… and the world feels like a scarier place today.

As someone who’s spent years working in gov tech, I’ve watched governments weaponize policy against vulnerable communities before. But 2025? This really is different. More coordinated. Cruel. And yet my community’s response has been nothing short of extraordinary.

When the Government Comes for Kids

On June 17th, the Trump administration announced they were shutting down the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth services¹. You know, the hotline that had helped 1.3 million young LGBTQ+ people since 2022. The one serving kids who are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. The timing was deliberate and cruel.

This came after January’s executive orders that essentially erased trans people from federal recognition² and banned gender-affirming care for anyone under 19³. Because apparently, “protecting children” now means denying them life-saving medical care and cutting off their suicide prevention resources.

But here’s the thing about targeting kids — it pisses off literally everyone who has a functioning heart. And that seems to include a lot of Republicans who suddenly discovered they have trans grandchildren and gay nephews.

Schoolhouse Rock Gone Wrong

The statistics this year read like a horror novel set in a legislative house in hell. 942 anti-transgender bills under consideration across 49 states⁴. Nine hundred and forty-two. That’s a coordinated campaign.

And it’s working. The Supreme Court dropped their anti-trans healthcare decision right in the middle of Pride month—June 18th⁵. Twenty-seven states now ban some form of gender-affirming care for kids. Six states make providing such care a felony. The hate crime numbers? 2,949 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents reported to the FBI, with more than one in five of all hate crimes now targeting our community⁶. GLAAD tracked an additional 918 incidents just in 2024—that’s 2.5 attacks on LGBTQ+ people every single day⁷.

These aren’t just numbers. They’re our friends, our kids, our community members getting harassed, threatened, and hurt for existing. This is my family.

Corporate Cowardice

And where were our supposed corporate allies during all this? Mostly hiding behind carefully worded statements about “focusing on our core business values” while quietly withdrawing Pride sponsorships. 39% of corporations scaled back their public LGBTQ+ engagement this year⁸. Target—Target—got rejected as a sponsor by Twin Cities Pride because they’d already caved to right-wing pressure.

Honestly? Good for those Pride organizers. We’re all tired of companies that want our money but won’t stand with us when it gets hard. The retreat of corporate sponsors forced Pride events back to their grassroots, activist roots. The budgets were smaller, the parties less flashy, but the message was louder: we’re not going away.

When the World Gives You Hope

While America was busy legislating us out of existence, other parts of the world were moving forward. Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage on January 23rd, with over 1,754 couples getting married on day one⁹. Australia completed nationwide non-binary recognition¹⁰. The Czech Republic ditched sterilization requirements for legal gender changes¹¹.

Even in the UK, where the Supreme Court has decided that trans women aren’t legally women¹², Hungary passed a constitutional ban on LGBTQ+ events¹³, and Viktor Orbán continued his slide into authoritarianism, people kept fighting back. Budapest’s mayor organized Pride as a “municipal celebration of freedom” with backing from 33 foreign embassies¹⁴ with tens of thousands turning out.

WorldPride

For WorldPride in Washington DC 2-3 million people descending on the nation’s capital during the most hostile federal environment in decades¹⁵. The parade route literally passed within one block of the White House. There was a fight over the park on the route, with the National Park Service initially blocking the park, but the organizers pushed back and won.

This wasn’t just a celebration; it was a demonstration. A reminder that we’re still here, still fighting, still incredible. Jennifer Lopez performed. RuPaul showed up. Kamala Harris sent a video message. Millions of ordinary LGBTQ+ people and allies gathered to say “no” to erasure.

The “March For All” initiative let people march on behalf of LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide who can’t march safely themselves¹⁶. In a year when visibility felt dangerous, making ourselves seen became an act of solidarity with those who couldn’t.

Political Wins

At least we’re getting better representation in government. Sarah McBride became the first trans member of Congress. Julie Johnson became the first LGBTQ+ representative from a Southern state. Emily Randall made history as the first LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress¹⁷. Twelve LGBTQ+ House members total—a record.

It matters to have people in power who understand that our rights aren’t theoretical policy debates but literal life-and-death issues for their constituents.

The Organizations Doing the Real Work

Every single one of our lives is better with trans people in it. Trans people are teachers, doctors, artists, engineers, parents, friends. They’re the nurse who holds your hand in the hospital, the teacher who sees potential in the weird kid, the neighbor who checks on your elderly parent.

The fight against trans rights isn’t really about bathrooms or sports. It’s about whether we’re going to be the kind of society that protects its most vulnerable members or throws them to the wolves for political points.

Trans people—especially trans women of color—have been at the forefront of every major LGBTQ+ rights victory. Stonewall was led by trans women like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. The movement for marriage equality was built on decades of groundwork laid by trans activists who never got to see their own recognition.

We owe them everything. And right now, they need us to show up. So, as we finish the month of June, I want to draw your attention to three organizations that deserve your money right now:

Trans Lifeline runs the only national crisis hotline staffed entirely by trans operators. They refuse to call emergency services without caller consent, understanding that police involvement often makes situations worse for trans people, especially trans people of color. With a 4/4 star Charity Navigator rating, they’ve been literally saving lives since 2014¹⁸.

Donate at translifeline.org

Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) emerged from merging two powerhouse organizations—the National Center for Transgender Equality and Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. They’re the people fighting in courts and Congress, with a perfect 100% Charity Navigator score and over 20 years of experience getting things done¹⁹.

Donate at a4te.org

Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led civil rights organization, prioritizing BIPOC communities and fighting landmark cases like the one that established rights for transgender inmates. Also rated 100% by Charity Navigator, they’ve been in the trenches since 2002²⁰.

Donate at transgenderlawcenter.org

The Work Continues

Pride 2025 reminded me why I got into civic tech in the first place. Technology alone can’t solve systemic oppression, but it can amplify voices, connect communities, and organize resistance. The apps that help trans people find safe bathrooms, the platforms that let LGBTQ+ youth connect with supportive adults, the databases that track anti-LGBTQ+ legislation—this is tech serving justice.

The attacks on our community are unprecedented, but so is our response. We’re not just surviving; we’re building something better. Pride 2025 wasn’t just about celebrating how far we’ve come. It was about committing to the work still ahead.

Because here’s what I know after watching this community fight for decades: they can pass all the laws they want. They can retreat their corporate sponsorships and write their hateful op-eds. But they cannot legislate us out of existence.

We’re still here. We’re still fighting. And we’re still beautiful.

Support the organizations doing the real work. Show up for your trans friends and neighbors. And remember: our liberation is bound up together.