Pride is still a protest

Pride is more than a colourful celebration. For me, Pride is about visibility, freedom, love and the right to be yourself without fear. Of course Pride can be exuberant. Celebrating who you are can itself be powerful. But behind the flags, music and parties, there is still a reason why Pride exists.

Equal rights and social acceptance cannot be taken for granted. Progress has been made, including in Europe, but at the same time LGBTQIA+ people still face discrimination, hate and legislation that restricts their freedom.

There has been progress, but the story is not finished

It is important not to look only at setbacks. According to the European Commission, social acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in the EU has increased in recent years. More people are open about their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics.

At the same time, the same European research shows a much less reassuring side. More than half of the LGBTQIA+ people surveyed said they had experienced hate-motivated harassment. Discrimination and violence also remain a reality, with trans, non-binary, gender-diverse and intersex people being particularly badly affected according to the European Commission.

For me, that is exactly why Pride is still necessary. Progress is something to celebrate, but it is not a reason to pretend the work is finished.

In dozens of countries, love can still be a criminal offence

Looking at a Pride event in the Netherlands, it can be easy to think that the most important battles have already been won. Worldwide, the reality looks very different.

According to current data from Human Dignity Trust, there are 66 jurisdictions worldwide where consensual same-sex sexual relations are criminalised. In twelve countries, there are jurisdictions where the death penalty is applied or is legally possible for such relations.

These are not historical footnotes. These are laws that exist today and affect how people live, love and decide whether they dare to show who they are.

Rights that have been gained can also be questioned again

Even in countries where homosexuality is not criminalised, rights and recognition can change. In recent years, this has been particularly visible around transgender people.

In the United States, for example, President Donald Trump signed a presidential executive order in January 2025 instructing the federal government to treat sex exclusively as male or female and rescinding previous federal LGBTQI+ measures. This was followed shortly afterwards by an order concerning transgender people in the U.S. armed forces.

The U.S. government justifies such measures in part by referring to biological sex, safety and military readiness. At the same time, they have direct consequences for the way transgender people are recognised and treated by the federal government. To me, this shows that rights people believed were firmly established can once again become the subject of political policy.

You do not have to understand someone else to believe they deserve rights

What perhaps concerns me most is how quickly people form a judgement about someone whose life they do not know.

You do not have to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary or intersex to understand that someone wants to be able to walk down the street safely, love a partner or live as themselves. You do not need to share the same experience to believe someone deserves the same freedom.

To me, that is a very simple foundation. Love is not a threat. Someone else's identity does not take anything away from yours.

Why visibility matters

For someone who lives completely freely and feels accepted, visibility may seem self-evident. But for someone who is still questioning themselves or does not dare to be open at home, at school, at work or in their own environment, seeing an entire street full of people being themselves without shame can mean something very different.

That is why I think Pride matters. Not only for the people dancing at the front, but also for the person standing at the side who may think for the first time: apparently there is space for me too.

Pride in my own city

On Saturday 14 June 2025, I joined the Eindhoven Pride Parade together with my partner. Eindhoven Pride returned in June 2026 with the Pride Parade and Pride Vibes Festival under the theme United We Stand.

For me, taking part is not a marketing moment. I live and work in Eindhoven, I am part of the queer community myself and I think it is important to be a visible part of that community.

If you want to look ahead to the next edition, you can also read my blog about Eindhoven Pride 2027.

Pride can be a celebration and remain a protest

I love the exuberance of Pride. The flags, music, outfits, people and the feeling that a city visibly says for a moment: you are allowed to be who you are here.

But as long as people are still persecuted for who they love, as long as LGBTQIA+ people are disproportionately affected by hate and violence and as long as rights can be restricted again, Pride is more than just a celebration to me.

We can celebrate how much has been achieved while refusing to accept that everything still left to do no longer matters.

Pride is still a protest.

Dave from GUNDERWEAR

Last updated: 18 August 2026