Pride month 2023: Best photos of LGBTQ+ celebrations in US cities of all sizes [View all]

LGBTQ pride events have long been mainstay celebrations in big cities, and their presence in conservative communities and rural America has grown in recent years.

Media coverage can focus on star-studded Pride events in cities such as West Hollywood and New York — home of the country’s largest pride parade each year with millions in attendance — but in a time of heightened political and physical threats to LGBTQ communities, organizers say promoting queer joy in cities and towns of all sizes can serve as a reminder that we’re never really alone, no matter where we are.

For the second year in a row, there was an increase in the number of states that grew more hostile to the LGBTQ+ community, according to a new report shared exclusively with USA TODAY.

Rural America is home to about 3.8 million LGBTQ residents, representing as much as one-fifth of the total population, according to a report in 2019 by the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank that works to advance equality. Some experts said it’s probably higher.


Gay Pride Parade travels west on NW 39th Street on June 4, 2023 in Oklahoma City, Okla. © Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman, STEVE SISNEY / USA TODAY NETWORK


Participants wearing costumes take part in the Utah Pride Parade, Sunday, June 4, 2023, in Salt Lake City. © Rick Bowmer/AP, AP


The Pittsburgh Pride parade, celebrating 50 years of Pittsburgh Pride, crosses the Andy Warhol bridge from downtown Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 3, 2023. © Gene J. Puskar, AP

more...