Republican States Rebrand June in Response to Pride Month
June is widely recognized as gay Pride month, a time when LGBTQ+ communities protest discrimination and celebrate their identities. This observance commemorates the origins of the modern US gay liberation movement, which began with the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprising in New York City. However, in several Republican-led states this year, June is being marked differently.
Some Republican governors have introduced alternative designations for June, which supporters and critics alike interpret as counterprogramming to Pride month.
New State Proclamations Emphasize Traditional Family Structures
The governors of Indiana and Tennessee have declared June as “nuclear family month,” explicitly celebrating family units consisting of “one husband, one wife and any biological, adopted or fostered children.”
In Alabama, the month has been renamed “strong families month,” ostensibly to promote Father’s Day, which occurs in June in the US. Despite the fact that millions of LGBTQ+ individuals come from and create strong families, including households with two fathers, Republican Governor Kay Ivey was explicit in her proclamation:
“Homes led by a father and mother provide children with the structure and discipline necessary to succeed throughout life.”
She also stated that the father is the head of such households.
While these governors have not explicitly stated that their proclamations are intended to replace Pride month for LGBTQ+ communities, the sociopolitical message is clear to many observers.
LGBTQ+ Community Response to State Proclamations
Josh Coleman, president of Central Alabama Pride, which has organized 42 events over two weeks culminating in a parade on June 13 and a festival on June 14, stated that the proclamations will not impact their celebrations.
“It’s not lost upon LGBTQ people when elected leaders don’t recognize or value the visibility of the community,”
he said. “That’s why Pride started in the first place – to make sure the community had a community.”
Other States Declare June as Fidelity Month
The governors of Utah and Arkansas have declared June as “fidelity month,” emphasizing fidelity to faith, country, and family, though without specifying the composition of such families.
Last week, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted on her X account a link to an article about her proclamation, stating:
“Another Red State is Counter-Programming Pride Month.”
Neither she nor other governors have responded to Associated Press inquiries regarding the timing of their proclamations in June.
Escalation of Conservative Actions Against LGBTQ+ Rights
Since the second Trump administration, there has been an increase in conservative state and federal actions targeting LGBTQ+ rights, particularly access to gender-affirming medical care, challenges to the legality of same-sex marriage, and efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ Pride flags.
Republican lawmakers in at least four other GOP-controlled states have introduced legislation this year proposing June be designated as “fidelity month.”
An organization advocating for this concept was founded by Robert P. George, a Princeton University professor of jurisprudence and a prominent conservative thinker. His group did not respond to interview requests.
In 2023, George told the National Catholic Register about the idea, stating:
“Nobody gets a monopoly on a particular day or a particular month.”
Origins and Significance of Pride Month
Pride celebrations in June, which often include parades, festivals, and performances, began in 1970 to mark the first anniversary of the police raid on the Stonewall Inn, an LGBTQ+ bar in New York City. These celebrations have since expanded globally.
Jordan Braxton, co-president of USA Prides, an association of Pride organizations, emphasized the resilience of the community:
“You can call it whatever you want, but one thing you’re not going to do is take away our pride or take away our joy.”
Political Recognition of Pride Month
Every Democratic president since Bill Clinton in 1999 has signed a Pride proclamation annually, while no Republican president has done so.
In 2023, the Trump administration’s education department began declaring June as “Title IX month,” using it to investigate schools permitting transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, one of the few GOP governors to proclaim LGBTQ+ Pride in June, did so in 2021, 2022, and 2023. However, in 2024, he initially declared June a “month of bridge building” before switching to “fidelity month.”
Public Opinion and Legislative Efforts
A recent poll indicates that after two decades of increasing acceptance of same-sex marriages and relationships, this trend has plateaued, largely due to growing opposition among Republicans.
In 2023, Illinois Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller introduced a resolution to designate June as “family month” and to derecognize Pride month, stating:
“Americans are inundated with perverse Pride Month displays and events throughout the month of June that denigrate the nuclear family.”
The resolution did not receive a vote.
Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, expressed support for conservative recognitions, stating in an interview that Pride celebrations:
“were going so far as to make it difficult to celebrate traditional marriage.”
The resolution approved by Tennessee’s legislature and governor does not mention Pride month specifically but asserts that:
“the nuclear family is under attack in our beloved State and nation.”
Lakie Derrick, a conservative activist who co-wrote the Tennessee measure, acknowledged that the timing was intended to counter Pride month, which she described as:
“goes against American values.”
“We’re just reclaiming the culture, and there’s no better month to do that than in a month where the culture says we’re gonna celebrate something so opposite to what we know to be right,”
she said.
LGBTQ+ Advocacy Groups Respond
Marina Lowe, who leads legal and legislative affairs for the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Utah, rejected the notion of a zero-sum conflict between Pride month and conservative family recognitions. She noted that many LGBTQ+ individuals also value faith and family, stating:
“I don’t think that these positions need to be in conflict with one another.”
Ongoing Pride Celebrations Across the US
Despite these proclamations, thousands of events celebrating LGBTQ+ pride and advocating for equality are underway across the United States, marked by displays of rainbow colors.
In New York City last Saturday, an “eve of Pride” event at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine featured the display of the rainbow and transgender Pride flags, with pews filled to capacity.
