Celebrities are kicking off Pride Month in great spirits this year with celebratory messages and urgent calls to action. In honor of the month-long celebration of love, acceptance, and identity for LGBTQ+ voices, stars are showing their support both as allies and members of the community.
This has been a challenging year as new anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-drag laws have been introduced into legislation, but celebs like Lizzo, Pedro Pascal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gabrielle Union, and more have been vocal about their protests against them. Speaking on the pressing matter of celebrating Pride Month, this year especially, actor and activist Margaret Cho told Hollywood Life in an interview published on June 1, “Pride feels more urgent and needed. We have to stand up for our rights like never before.”
Celebrities are celebrating Pride Month in other ways, too, this year. On May 31, married pair Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts put their love on full display at The Hollywood Reporter’s second annual “Raising Our Voices” Luncheon in Los Angeles, which promotes diversity and inclusion. The two kissed, laughed, and looked at each other lovingly while posing for pictures on the red carpet.
Read ahead to see how other stars are celebrating Pride Month 2023.
Related: Janet Mock: “Loving My Reflection Is an Act of Everyday Rebellion”
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Ben Platt
The “Theater Camp” star simply posted a PDA-filled photo of him and his fiancé, Noah Galvin, on his Instagram Story on June 1, captioned, “Happy Pride.”
Getty / Gabe Ginsberg
Hayley Kiyoko
The pop singer kicked off Pride Month continuing to celebrate the May 30 release of her new coming-of-age novel, “Girls Like Girls” – which is inspired by her 2015 breakthrough hit song and viral video of the same name. “OUR BOOK IS OUT!!! ?,” Kiyoko captioned an Instagram post. “8 years ago, I was 24 and terrified to come out to the industry and the world. I decided to write a song and release a music video as a vehicle to express my feelings. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would lead me to finding my community and my purpose. Some of the hardest years of my adolescence led me to finding strength, courage, a community, and self worth. Releasing ‘Girls Like Girls’ was one of the most terrifying and yet rewarding things I have ever done in my life.”
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Shania Twain
On June 1, the country singer quote-tweeted a fan’s collage of some of her looks imagined as the Pride Flag colors and wrote, “Happy #PrideMonth!! ??️?.”
Getty / Monica Schipper
Margaret Cho
In her interview with Hollywood Life, Cho noted that her plans for Pride Month include “fighting for queer rights” and participating in the 2023 LA Pride Parade as the Icon Grand Marshal. “I have been attending Pride celebrations since 1978,” Cho said, “and this time around, the need to celebrate as well as unite is more urgent than it has ever been. Our love is greater than their hate.”
