Many LGBTQ+ people feel Pride Month does not fully represent them, new research shows

New research indicates that a significant share of LGBTQ+ people feel excluded or poorly represented by mainstream Pride Month celebrations, despite the global visibility and corporate attention June brings each year.

A survey of 1,100 LGBTQ+ adults conducted by dating app Taimi found that only 59% felt at least somewhat represented by Pride Month. Seventeen percent reported never feeling represented, 14% said they were not represented very well, and 9% felt they were not represented at all.

Concerns extended to who is seen and heard within Pride spaces. Only 25% of respondents believed mainstream Pride to be inclusive overall. A further 25% felt that LGBTQ+ people of colour, as well as trans and non-binary people, were underrepresented or excluded. Twenty-seven percent said bisexual and pansexual people were underrepresented or excluded, and 29% said the same about LGBTQ+ people living outside large cities.

Commercialisation and branding were also sources of unease. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they felt suspicious of brands or companies that run Pride campaigns, while 19% viewed such efforts as primarily performative. Nine percent said they actively avoid these brands during Pride Month, though 16% reported feeling more comfortable with the extra visibility corporate campaigns can bring.

The emotional impact of Pride as it is currently structured was another key finding. Forty-one percent of participants said they felt pressure to perform during Pride in ways that did not match how they actually felt, and only 32% said Pride is a celebration they genuinely enjoy. One respondent described Pride as making them feel like “a performing monkey in a circus”. Another said they experienced pressure from allies to present in a more “stereotypically gay” way during June.

Safety and the broader political climate also weigh on participants. Ten percent of respondents said they avoid public LGBTQ+ spaces during Pride because of the current political environment. An additional 45% reported being at least somewhat more selective about the spaces they visit at that time.

The full survey findings are available via Taimi, and they highlight a clear message from within the community: Pride must continue to evolve so that it reflects the diversity of LGBTQ+ lives and identities, beyond city centres and beyond corporate campaigns.

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