Pride 2026: The anti-carceral origins of Pride Month
Pride is a protest, rooted in the decades-long fight to decriminalize LGBTQ people and communities.
Here at Parole Illinois, we’re excited to celebrate Pride Month this June—a time to recognize and honor the contributions, resilience, and ongoing impact of LGBTQ people, culture, and advocacy.
Pride Month, however, is not only a celebration–it’s a protest, rooted in the decades-long fight to decriminalize LGBTQ people and communities.
In fact, the first Pride was held in June 1970, exactly one year after New York City’s Stonewall Riots, when a group of young adults banded together to interrupt a longstanding pattern of anti-LGBTQ police brutality. Their act of resistance–late one evening in June 1969, at a tavern in Greenwich Village–would ultimately serve as inspiration for a generation of LGBTQ activists and lead to the global tradition of Pride.
While much progress has been made over the past five decades, the struggle for justice is far from over. LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people, LGBTQ people of color, and those experiencing poverty, continue to be disproportionately represented at every stage of the criminal legal system. At Parole Illinois, we recognize that our efforts against mass incarceration cannot be separated from the fight for queer liberation.
As LGBTQ communities face renewed threats to their civil and human rights across the country, Pride 2026 feels as important as ever. This month, we celebrate the courage of those who came before us, stand in solidarity with those continuing the struggle today, and reaffirm our commitment to building a society where all people can live with dignity, safety, and freedom.
Recommended reading:
“Pride Has Always Been About Ending Mass Incarceration.” (Andrea Woods & Qainat Khan via ACLU News, 2023)
“Race, Gender, and the Prison Industrial Complex: California and Beyond.” (Angela Davis & Cassandra Shaylor, 2001)
