We need love gay pride

Why We Still Need

Isn’t it a bit much? The joy of Pride is not trivial; it is transformative. Every June, cities around the world burst into colour. When you grow up hearing your identity is something to be hidden, or worse, something to be ashamed of, a parade that says you are loved exactly as you are can be life-changing.

We need to fight harder and love harder. Pride Month is both a joyful celebration and a powerful protest — a moment to honour how far we’ve come, and to spotlight how far we still have to go. Why do we need a month for gay people?

That being out and proud is, for many, still dangerous. What about straight. Trans people in particular face systemic violence, exclusion, and erasure. In countries like Uganda, new legislation imposes life sentences simply gay being gay. For further reading and information, you can visit Stonewall's [Take Pride campaign].

And every June, I hear it again: Do we really still need Pride Month? We must preserve its original spirit and focus on the ongoing need for advocacy and solidarity. But every year, as the corporate logos change their colours and the parades grow ever larger, the same question resurfaces: Do we still need Pride?

Inas chaos and hate swirl, we need Pride now more than ever | Opinion 3-minute read. Over the decades, Pride has evolved into something both fiercer and more joyful. Rainbow flags wave from lampposts, glitter rains down from floats, and streets pulse with the rhythm of dance music and chants for equality.

Queer people have overcome a tremendous amount of injustice throughout history, and Pride is about not succumbing to fear, but a relentless devotion. Drag bans, anti-trans laws, and attempts to roll back protections for queer youth are part of a growing backlash.

That legacy of protest is embedded in the DNA of Pride. As long as LGBTQ+ individuals face discrimination and marginalisation, Pride will continue to be a necessary and powerful force for change. In this post, I explain why.

The first Pride was not a parade but a riot. According to the Human Dignity Trust, same-sex sexual activity is still criminalised in over 60 countries — with punishments ranging from imprisonment to death. We need to rage against our own erasure by being unapologetic about our authenticity, our joy, our grief, our communities, our passions, and our commitments to uplifting each other across differences.

Led by trans women of colour like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, the events at Stonewall sent a clear message: queer people were done being silent and done being afraid. Hate crimes are increasing. Pride is inherently political. If you didn’t know better, you’d think the world had arrived at a love of perfect inclusivity, where everyone, regardless of how they love or who they are, is safe, respected, and equal.

But every year, as the corporate logos change their colours and the parades grow ever larger, the same question resurfaces: Do we still need Pride? Pride has its roots not in celebration, but in resistance. The answer is a resounding yes.

It reminds us that rights can be reversed. That love can be revolutionary. This climate makes the protest pride of Pride more essential than ever. When queer people gather to demand rights, recognition, and respect, they are challenging need structures. That visibility must be matched with action.

In a world that still often marginalises queer people, celebration itself becomes a form of resistance. That equality on paper does not mean equality in experience. It reminds us that visibility was once — and still is — a radical act.