50 Inspirational Pride Month Quotes Celebrating Equality and Love
Hold your head high and smile wide with our Pride Month quotes.
June is an exciting month for many reasons; the weather is warm, school lets out for summer vacation, and it’s Pride Month!
Check out our Pride Month quotes below to learn more!
What is Pride Month?
In many parts of the globe, people celebrate June as Pride Month.
Pride Month is a special time of the year when the LBGTQIA people and their allies celebrate the accomplishments made to secure full and equal rights for everyone everywhere.
Check out these interesting Pride Month facts below:
- The first official Pride parade occurred in 1970.
- Today, there are twenty-five countries where marriage equality is protected by law.
- Many people use Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall uprising of June 1969.
What was the Stonewall uprising?
In U.S. history, it has been common for police forces to raid LBGTQIA nightclubs and bars.
In 1969 the tensions between police and people in Lower Manhattan’s Greenwich Village crashed as police violently raided the Stonewall Inn.
The patrons were beaten, arrested, and hauled off to jail.
This is remembered as a watershed moment for LBGTQIA rights in America because it was one of the first times the neighborhood people fought back as a collective against illegally violent homophobic police protocols.
A year after the Stonewall incident, organizers set up the first official Pride Parade, and today many use Pride Month to celebrate the advancements the LBGTQIA community has made since then.
Why is marriage such a hot topic?
Each of us is born with inalienable human rights.
If you are from Earth, your birthrights include access to clean air, water, and food and the right to fall in love with who you wish.
Unfortunately, not everyone can fully engage in the right to fall in love with whomever they want.
We have 195 sovereign countries on Planet Earth.
Of those 195, only 25 have secured the right to marriage for everyone.
In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to open civil marriage to same-sex couples.
Today, 25 countries have marriage equality, and Taiwan, Chile, and Austria are expected to join that list soon.
An additional 16 countries have made civil unions or registered partnerships an option for same-sex couples.
In many cases, such as Greece, Croatia, and Switzerland, these unions only differ from marriage by name, and couples are afforded all of the appropriate rights.
Why celebrate Pride Month?
Not too long ago, zero countries had any protocols or laws enacted to secure same-sex marriages.
These accomplishments are some of the many reasons people choose to celebrate Pride Month.
To learn more, check out our Pride Month quotes below.
Short Pride Month quotes about loving the skin you are in
Let’s start our celebration with these short pride month quotes about loving who you are.
1. “Hope will never be silent.” — Harvey Milk
2. “We are powerful because we have survived.” — Audre Lorde
3. “Don’t let anyone define you. You define yourself.” — Billie Jean King
4. “There’s no better time than now to be who you are.” — Boy George
5. “To be afraid is to behave as if the truth were not true.” — Bayard Rustin
6. “Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” — Allen Ginsberg
7. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” — Oscar Wilde
8. “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” — Coco Chanel
9. “We have to be visible. We should not be ashamed of who we are.” — Sylvia Rivera
10. “I think being gay is a blessing, and it’s something I am thankful for every single day.” — Anderson Cooper
The best Pride Month quotes about visibility and silence
These quotes remind us that there is room for everyone to celebrate what makes them unique.
11. “I think the world has a place for gay superheroes, certainly.” — Stan Lee
12. “Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start.” — Jason Collins
13. “We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love. That’s okay.” — Laverne Cox
14. “How can people change their minds about us if they don’t know who we are?” — Harvey Milk
15. “If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.” — Zanele Muholi
16. “Being gay isn’t something you choose, but you do face choices about whether and how to discuss it.” — Pete Buttigieg
17. “Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?” — Ernest J. Gaines
18. “I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act.” — Janet Mock
19. “Gays are not interested in making other people gay. But homophobes are interested in making others homophobic.” — Stephen Fry
20. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life. Define yourself.” — Harvey Fierstein
The top Pride Month quotes about coming out and peace of mind
These quotes embody many people’s powerful journey to live their truth fully.
21. “Everybody’s journey is individual.” — James Baldwin
22. “My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.” — Audre Lorde
23. “No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” — Alice Walker
24. “We are not actually equal humanity if we are not allowed to freely love one another.” — Lady Gaga
25. “Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” — James Baldwin
26. “Obviously, no LGBT person should be denied the ability to be who they are because their boss disagrees.” — Gloria Steinem
27. “We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours.” — Gore Vidal
28. “The single best thing about coming out of the closet is that nobody can insult you by telling you what you’ve just told them.” — Rachel Maddow
29. “Personally, coming out was one of the most important things I’ve ever done, lifting from my shoulders the millstone of lies that I hadn’t even realized I was carrying.” — Sir Ian McKellen
30. “There will not be a magic day when we wake up, and it’s now okay to express ourselves publicly. We make that day by doing things publicly until it’s simply the way things are.” — Tammy Baldwin
Famous Pride Month quotes and sayings about facing fear
Check out these awesome Pride Month quotes to remember how strong we are together.
31. “Gay, straight, bi, whatever, it doesn’t matter. Love is love.” — Amber Liu
32. “There is nothing wrong with you. There’s a lot wrong with the world you live in.” — Chris Colfer
33. “Some people say you are going the wrong way, when it’s simply a way of your own.” — Angelina Jolie
34. “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be ashamed. Don’t ever apologize for your sexuality. Just be you.” — Sonya Deville
35. “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.” — Brené Brown
36. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Emerson
37. “What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.” — Tennessee Williams
38. “To be yourself is truly a revolutionary act, and I think more and more people should try it, because it’s gotten me a pretty cool life.” — Lena Waithe
39. “Love doesn’t care how much money you have. It doesn’t care who your parents are. It doesn’t care if you’re gay, straight, or transgender.” — Rumer Willis
40.“You don’t know with whom you’re going to fall in love. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality.” — James Baldwin
Pride Month quotes and sayings about inclusion, equality, and love
We are all made of love, so why not let everyone share it freely?
41. “Gay rights are human rights.” — Hillary Clinton
42. “Marriage is a language of love, equality, and inclusion.” — Evan Wolfson
43. “There is no sexuality that is greater or lesser than another.” — Jasmine Guy
44. “Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law.” — Boethieus
45. “I believe that marriage isn’t between a man and a woman; but between love and love.” — Frank Ocean
46. “All human beings deserve equal treatment, no matter their gender identity or sexuality.” — Andreja Pejic
47. “Being gay is a natural normal beautiful variation on being human. Period. End of subject.” — Larry Kramer
48. “When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.” — Barack Obama
49. “It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love, or how you love. It matters only that you love.” — John Lennon
50. “Equality means more than passing laws. The struggle is really won in the hearts and minds of the community, where it really counts.” — Barbara Gittings
Pride Month is for everyone!
Remember that Pride Month is for everyone!
It fosters a culture of acceptance, inclusivity, and equality.
By recognizing and supporting the LGBTQ+ community, we promote a society where everyone can live authentically without fear of discrimination.
Pride Month reminds us that diversity strengthens our communities and that embracing differences leads to a more compassionate and understanding world.
Regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community is important.
It allows individuals to advocate for human rights, challenge biases, and create a more fair society.
In the comments section below, let us know how you plan to celebrate Pride Month.
