Under financial and political pressure, the LGBTQ+ community is ‘putting the protest back in Pride’ celebrations

Facing a drop in sponsorships and visible corporate support, Pride organizers are leaning on grassroots fundraising efforts and returning to the spirit of resistance that defined celebrations four decades ago.

Jordan Braxton still remembers her first Pride celebration in St. Louis, when it was still a relatively small gathering of about 5,000 people asserting their identity, in a city where simply being visibly gay was an act of resistance. It was in Forest Park, tucked away from downtown, and photography was discouraged because people feared they could lose their jobs if they were identified. Back in June of 1984, she says, Pride was more protest than parade. As the years went on, the LGBTQ+ community earned hard fought rights, and that small gathering in the park evolved into a brigade of 30,000-plus people marching down Market Street, with floats, glitter and performers, said Braxton, who now sits on the board of St. Louis Pride. Annual Pride celebrations across the country have become a staple of their communities, and nearly 10% of American adults now identify as LGBTQ+. With big corporations eager to provide visible financial support to the LGBTQ+ community, these celebrations have become bigger, flashier and emblazoned with company logos. But this year, amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity and equity efforts and a torrent of legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, Pride organizers around the nation are facing a decline in sponsorships and visible corporate support. Scrambling to fill the gap in funding, these groups are leaning on grassroots fundraising efforts and returning to that original spirit of resistance. This year, the organizers say, simply showing up will send an important message.