Pride is known for its parades and giving LGBTQ+ people that chance to be themselves openly and without stigma. In 2026, some of America’s largest pride organizers, such as NYC Pride and SF Pride, have dedicated this Pride month to resilience and social justice. In accordance with these themes, many queer people are embracing a new term for an old idea that has existed since the first brick was thrown during the Stonewall Riots: queer joy.
Globally, trans rights are actively being stripped away. Some states even trying to police how trans people use public restrooms. In some countries, being queer or a part of the LGBTQ+ community is still criminalized. With all the negative news and regression in rights, it can be hard to imagine being joyful, but in fact, this is the time to purposefully find acts of joy.
Locations of Pride parades around the globe in 2026
Credit: Naman Arora via MapMe.com
Stand Proud in the Face of Opposition
Engaging in Pride is itself an act of queer joy, letting LGBTQ+ people be a part of a community and find the representation they need. Queer joy is a radical act of resistance that involves being unapologetically yourself. It’s a sense of self-love and taking the time to be kind to yourself through self-care and creating the space and boundaries needed to express your queer identity, however you see fit.
It may seem strange to consider taking care of yourself an act of resistance. Often, LGBTQ+ people focus on the idea of “coming out,” or sharing their identity with those around them. Many queer people worry about being “too gay” or being accepted by those outside of the community, which ultimately limits their ability to feel queer joy. When you are a member of a minority that is breaking down heteronormative and binary norms, coming out is the big moment when queer people actively resist the boxes that patriarchal society places us in.
Finding Yourself, Rather than Defining Yourself
The Center, an LGBTQ+ organization in California, suggests that queer people focus on “coming in” instead. The ultimate goal shouldn’t be forcing people to come out and ask for acceptance for being queer. Rather, it should be to “come in” to oneself, finding how you want to express yourself and not worrying about outside feedback.
The joy of “coming in” can take many forms, with drag potentially being the most well known. Drag is a type of performance and art that involves a person dressing in an intentionally exaggerated gendered form. Drag itself is unapologetically queer, as drag queens and kings have long promoted visibility for queer people and those who fall outside the gender binary. These performances often tackle ideas of social injustice and politics while questioning gender norms and pushing gender non-conformity.
An Intentional Pride
Queer joy is not only an act of resistance. It is vital for survival. Suicide, self-harm, and suicidal ideation rates are higher among LGBTQ+ people. Expressing queer joy through the freedom of self-expression, dressing how you want, and using your chosen pronouns could mean lower rates of depression and suicide in the community. The Stonewall rioters’ queer joy faced violent oppression, and they fought fiercely for the ability to express it outwardly. This act of protest helped pave the way for even more opportunities for expression. Now, LGBTQ+ people are just as resilient and defiant, eager to express their queerness through acts of joy.
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