🌈 HAPPY PRIDE GUIDE 2025

Because joy is resistance, and visibility is power.

❤️ Love Loudly

Whether it’s romantic, platonic, or chosen family — let your love be seen and heard. Take your partner(s) on that date. Hug your friends. Say “I love you” without fear.

🧡 Express Yourself

Dress how you want. Speak how you want. Exist how you want. This month — and every month — you deserve to show up as your full self.

💛 Make Space

Host a queer movie night. Create a pop-up closet. Share your affirming clothes, your stories, or your time. Pride is community in motion.

💚 Support Queer Business

Buy from LGBTQ+ artists, makers, stylists, and shops. Your dollar can help build a more inclusive economy. (Like Nikki’s Second Story Upcycle 💅)

💙 March, Dance, Protest

Attend a parade. Join a teach-in. Pass out water at a rally. Pride started as a riot, and joy is still an act of defiance. Take up space however feels right to you.

💜 Care for Yourself & Others

Rest. Breathe. Hydrate. Help a friend get home safe. Share resources. You’re not alone, even when it feels like it.

💔

And Let’s Be Honest…

This Pride month also comes with grief and rage.

Trans people especially trans youth are being targeted in legislation across the U.S., stripped of their rights, and forced to justify their existence again and again.

These attacks are not just headlines. They’re hurting people we love. They’re hurting my family. We’ve lost access to gender-affirming care, faced public judgment, and had to fight to protect what should be basic rights. This isn’t just political it’s personal.

So if you’re feeling heavy this Pride, you’re not alone. And if you’re an ally wondering what to do speak up, show up, and don’t look away.

🌟

Pride Supporters & Good News

📚 Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ Center has new youth programs and therapy grants.

👕 Local queer thrift shops like Nikki’s Second Story Upcycle mobile shop creating safer, affirming spaces for all bodies, identities, and styles.

🎓 Trans kids are still graduating, still thriving, and still dreaming. Mine included.

🌈 Final Note:

Happy Pride, truly.

Celebrate how far we’ve come.

Don’t stop fighting for how far we still have to go.

And remember — your joy, your rage, your softness, and your survival are all acts of rebellion.

🛍️

Queer-Owned & LGBTQ+ Affirming Shops

👕

Clothing & Gender-Affirming Wear

• gc2b – Binders made by trans people for trans people

• FLAVNT Streetwear – Streetwear that funds top surgeries and affirms all gender expressions

• Urbody – Gender-inclusive undergarments and basics

• TomboyX – LGBTQ-owned, inclusive underwear brand for all bodies

• Origami Customs – Custom-made gender-affirming gear (binders, gaffs, swimwear) in every size

• Peau De Loup – Button-downs and suits for all gender identities

• Rebirth Garments – Radical visibility fashion for all bodies, sizes, and genders

🧼

Self-Care, Skin, and Body

• The Future is Bamboo – LGBTQ-owned eco beauty brand

• Wildflower Sex – Inclusive sexual wellness and pleasure products

• Good Judy – Queer-owned bath and ritual goods (candles, soaps, affirmation tools)

📚

Books, Art & Gifts

• Queer Candle Co. – Hand-poured candles from a queer couple in Brooklyn

• Strange Ways – Pins, patches, zines, and queer pop culture goods

• Autostraddle Store – Radical queer merch from the iconic LGBTQ+ site

• Bookshop.org LGBTQ Collection – Queer books supporting indie bookstores

• A Tribe Called Queer – Apparel, zines, and accessories with a social justice message

💖

For Kids & Families

• Queer Kid Stuff – LGBTQ+ educational content and merch for children

• GenderGear.ca – Inclusive shop for youth and adult gender-affirming products

🏳️‍🌈

LGBTQ Marketplaces

• Qraftist – Like Etsy but queer: LGBTQ+ creators of jewelry, clothing, art

• Taimi Market – Marketplace from the LGBTQ+ social app Taimi

• Etsy LGBTQ Tag – Many sellers tag their products LGBTQ — look for queer-owned shops in bios

  
  

Love you all for who you truly are. stand strong and together

#pridemonth #lgbtq #pittsburghpride #nikkisupcycle #Mobilethrift #bus