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The current U.S. administration has withdrawn orders supporting health advancements for LGBTQ+ youth. Bear Belgium members march during the pride parade in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

A young girl sits on someone's shoulders while holding a pride-themed sign in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

A Palestinian flag and a rainbow flag with a heart are displayed on a balcony in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

People walk during the parade in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

People are seen at a pride parade Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

(L-R) Betsey Johnson and Gottmik are seen during Betsey Johnson and the Elton John AIDS Foundation Pride Party at The Hole Gallery on May 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Presley Ann, Getty Images For Betsey Johnson

Violet Chachki DJs durng Betsey Johnson and the Elton John AIDS Foundation Pride Party at The Hole Gallery on May 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Presley Ann, Getty Images For Betsey Johnson

Friends and neighbors celebrate Haddon Township, New Jersey's 5th Annual Pride Parade on June 5, 2025.

Kaitlyn McCormick, The Courier-Post

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Pride Month, which officially begins on June 1, commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and the fight for equal rights.

Eliminating the federal recognition of transgender people, it also denies federal funding from programs that promote “gender ideology.” Yet, as the Magnum archive shows, non-violent opposition always breeds new forms. “This month, we recommit to realizing the promise of America for all Americans.” 

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Celebrations of queer and trans people across borders. The Stonewall Uprising began on June 28, 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a prominent gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. This weekend the 'Brussels Pride' is organized to demand equal rights for and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.

JONAS ROOSENS, BELGA MAG/AFP Via Getty Images

People light smoke flares during the 'Dyke March' manifestation for lesbian, queer, bisexual, pansexual, trans and non-binary people, Friday 16 May 2025 in Brussels.

This weekend the 'Brussels Pride' is organized to demand equal rights for and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.

JONAS ROOSENS, BELGA MAG/AFP Via Getty Images

People dance during the LGBTQIA+ Pride in Brussels on May 17, 2025.

NICOLAS TUCAT, AFP Via Getty Images

People gather for the Brussels Pride parade through the streets of Brussels on May 17, 2025.

Celebrate Pride Month With 15 Photos of LGBTQ Joy

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture vibrant parades and festivals around the world

Since 1999, June has been formally designated as Pride Month in the United States, a time to remember the struggles of the LGBTQ community and celebrate the advances they’ve made throughout the years.

“For generations, LGBTQI+ Americans have summoned the courage to live authentically and proudly—even when it meant putting their lives and livelihoods at risk,” President Joe Biden remarked when recognizing Pride Month this year. Today, homosexuality is still criminalized in 65 countries around the world. Displays of devotion and tenderness in Lebanon.

Brussels Pride puts the LGBTQIA+ community in the spotlight by adorning the streets of Brussels with the colors of the rainbow.

JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE, BELGA MAG/AFP Via Getty Images

People carry a large rainbow flag in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025. The body unbound.

Celebrate LGBTQ empowerment for Pride 2025: See parades, marches, festivals

WORLD

May 30, 2025Updated June 7, 2025, 5:14 p.m.

An embrace on a New York street corner when homosexuality was illegal.

Celebrating Pride 2025

On June 28, 1969, Greenwich Village in New York City held its own in an uprising against one of the many police raids at the Stonewall Inn. Gay activists and their allies banded together in a monumental defiance that helped secure rights for the LGBTQ+ community in the years to come.

56 years on, repressive laws and social mores that restrict LGBTQ+ liberties persist. 70,000 participants marched through the streets for the 29th edition of Brussels Pride, held under the theme 'Unite, time to protect our rights.'

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

A woman wears a rainbow-colored mask and raises her fist during the pride parade in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

A person wearing a crown and face paint walks in the parade in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

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70,000 participants marched through the streets for the 29th edition of Brussels Pride, held under the theme 'Unite, time to protect our rights.' The event highlighted the increasing pressure on queer rights, featured a Hungarian delegation, and included references to Trump and Gaza.

BOB REIJNDERS, Middle East Images/AFP Via Getty Images

People take part in the LGBTQIA+ Pride in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

NICOLAS TUCAT, AFP Via Getty Images

People wear shiny costumes and walk through the city during the pride parade in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 2025.

gay pride photos