EXIST. RESIST. Have the Audacity!
Capital Pride 2026
Our existence is not up for debate. LGBTQ+ people have always been and always will be part of the history of the United States, shaping its culture, defending its freedoms, building its movements, and strengthening its democracy.
We EXIST Loudly. We EXIST Proudly. WE EXIST.
Our resistance is called upon. We claim our right as humans and Americans, to live freely and openly, in the face of tyranny and stand against anything that seeks to shrink our freedom or deny our dignity.
We RESIST Injustice. We RESIST Erasure. WE RESIST.
Our audacity is our collective strength. Against the forces that try to diminish us, we must remain bold, courageous, visible and heard, in a world that questions our humanity and challenges our rights. Together, let’s have the audacity to live, thrive, be joyful and Proud!
Throughout history, people have used fabrics as expressive symbols, to communicate identities, and as forms of resistance. While the LGBTQ+ community faces growing challenges both in the United States and worldwide from those seeking to divide rather than unite, it’s the fabric of our community — through our rich cultures, diverse identities, and backgrounds — that will guide us forward towards a better future. As Washington, DC hosts WorldPride in 2025 and commemorates 50 years, we will welcome visitors from around the world to celebrate our vibrant community and continue the fight for equality. Every one of us — new threads woven together — strengthen the fabric of our community, and of this global movement. While the fabric of the LGBTQ+ Progress Pride flag symbolizes the diversity of our community, it is our shared humanity and unshakable unity that defines our greatest strength. We are people bound by love and acceptance, struggle and resilience, our past and our future, forging an ever-evolving community that together embodies The Fabric of Freedom.
Social justice issues, including those involving the LGBTQ+ community, were shaped by moments that turned into movements beginning in the 1950s and in the years that followed. These movements created a REVOLUTION of change that sparked the beginning of newfound freedoms. The fight for these liberties instilled a sense of Pride in members of the LGBTQ+ community in the decades since. PEACE and LOVE motivated many of these pioneers to be brave and inspired others to fight for human rights for years to come. Recent challenges have arisen in state houses and in Congress where the LGBTQ+ community once again finds itself under fire from those who would deny us our basic civil rights. But our fight for freedom continues and will require direct action in the streets and the halls of government. To continue sustainable, positive change and create a more inclusive nation and progressive world, we must recommit ourselves to the foundations of our movement.
Pride 2022 is an important celebration for our LGBTQ+ community as we will be reUNITED to build connections that can be then used to create positive change in our region, our country, and our world. We will once again return to the streets and meet each other as we renew the bonds and relationships that have empowered us forward to this point. The issues that are critical to our community did not disappear over the last few years, but instead grew and changed and now present us with new challenges. From further anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in this country to the perils faced by members of our international community in places like Ukraine, Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Central America, and many others, we must unify as we work on solutions that will move us towards a better world.