Celebrities are kicking off Pride Month in great spirits this year with celebratory messages and urgent calls to action. In honour of the month-long celebration of love, acceptance, and identity for LGBTQ+ voices [1], stars are showing their support both as allies and members of the community.
This has been a challenging year as anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans rhetoric has continued to swirl, but celebs like Lizzo [2], Pedro Pascal, Jamie Lee Curtis [3], Gabrielle Union [4], and more have been vocal about their protests against them. Speaking on the pressing matter of celebrating Pride Month, celebrities have been out in force.
Read ahead to see how other stars are celebrating Pride Month 2023.
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey [5] performed at LA Pride in the Park on 10 June as part of the city's Pride celebrations. After the event, she wrote on Instagram [6], "Thank you @lapride, you were amazing!! I love you so much!" along with butterfly and Pride flag emojis.
Kit Connor and Joe Locke
Kit Connor and Joe Locke, who star in Netflix's "Heartstopper," [7] took part in Capital Pride in Washington DC, on 10 June on a float for the UK Embassy. Locke wore a shirt that read, "Trans Right Are Human Rights," while Connor opted for a shirt from Chippendales. Locke shared photos from the event on Instagram [8] and wrote, "DC pride was very fun, and I don't just mean kit's T-shirt. Thanks @ukinusa for having us," and added Pride and Trans flag emojis.
Janelle Monáe
Singer Janelle Monáe performed at the LA Pride Parade on 11 June. They sang on a float that made its way down the streets of Hollywood.
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy fought back some tears as she rode down Santa Monica Boulevard in the West Hollywood Pride Parade on 4 June. At the event, "The Little Mermaid" star was honoured as an Icon. The distinction honours "trailblazers and allies . . . for their work in bringing the LGBTQ community and social justice issues to the forefront, as well as expanding queer representation in mainstream pop culture," per the parade's website [9].
Carly Rae Jepsen
Singer Carly Rae Jepsen headlined West Hollywood's Outloud music festival on 4 June.
Taylor Swift
On 2 June, Swift celebrated Pride Month with a speech at the Chicago stop of her ongoing Eras Tour. "I'm looking out tonight, I'm seeing so many incredible individuals who are living authentically and beautifully, and this is a safe space for you," the pop star said in videos shared on social media [10]. "This is a celebratory space for you. One of the things that makes me feel so prideful is getting to be with you and watching you interact with each other, being so loving and so thoughtful and so caring."
Swift continued, "Being with you during Pride Month, getting to sing the words to 'You Need to Calm Down,' where there are lyrics like 'Can you just not step on his gown?' or 'Shade never made anybody less gay,' and you guys are screaming those lyrics. Such solidarity. Such support of one another and such encouraging, beautiful acceptance and peace and safety. And I wish that every place was safe and beautiful for people of the LGBTQ+ community."
The "Anti-Hero" singer went on to call out legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community and to encourage her fans to vote in upcoming elections. "We can support as much as we want during Pride Month, but if we're not doing our research on these elected officials, are they advocates? Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality?"
Jonathan Bailey
Bailey ushered in the month-long celebration by sharing the first trailer from his upcoming steamy romance series with Matt Bomer titled "Fellow Travellers [11]." "Happy Pride, beautiful people," he captioned the clip on Instagram [12].
Ariana DeBose
In honour of Pride Month, the "West Side Story" star teamed up with "Sesame Street"'s Elmo to share a special message. "Elmo and I wanted to share that everyone is always welcome on Sesame Street," DeBose says in a clip shared on 'Sesame Street"'s official Instagram [13]. "This month and every month, we want to uplift and celebrate our LGBTQIA+ family, friends, and communities." Elmo then concludes, "From our 'Sesame Street' family to yours, happy Pride! Elmo loves you!"
Ke$ha
The "Die Young" artist tweeted [14] on 1 June, "ITS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIIIIIME OF THE YEAR. HAPPY MFKING PRIDE #Pride2023 #PrideMonth," adding a hand heart emoji.
Beyoncé
The "Cuff It" icon wished her fans "Happy Pride! [16]" during the 1 June London show of her Renaissance World Tour [17].
Shania Twain
On 1 June, the country singer quote-tweeted a fan's collage [18] of some of her looks imagined as the Pride Flag colours and wrote, "Happy #PrideMonth!! 😂🏳️🌈."
Kim Cattrall
The "Queer as Folk" star chimed in on the celebration on 1 June by confirming her "And Just Like That" season two cameo [19] and return to the "Sex and the City [20]" franchise. "Happy Pride," she wrote in an Instagram caption [21] alongside a screenshot of the Variety article that broke the news.
Ben Platt
The "Theatre Camp" star simply posted a PDA-filled photo of him and his fiancé, Noah Galvin [22], on his Instagram Story on 1 June, captioned, "Happy Pride."
Hayley Kiyoko
The pop singer kicked off Pride Month continuing to celebrate the 30 May 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 [23]. "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."
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."