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Pride is protest, celebration, commemoration and belonging – yet it is still banned and attacked. Sign the pledge to help UNESCO recognize and strengthen the case for safeguarding it.
Why this campaign
Pride is more than a parade. It is living cultural heritage built from protest, celebration, commemoration, and community. For many LGBT+ people, Pride is where they can be fully visible, find belonging, or see a future for themselves. Its marches, stories, symbols, and acts of solidarity have crossed borders and passed from one generation to the next.
Safeguarding Pride matters at a time when events are still restricted or banned in many countries.
"I recognize Pride as part of my intangible cultural heritage – a living tradition that gives me a sense of identity and belonging. Pride celebrates cultural diversity and human creativity, and encourages respect between people, groups, and communities. I want Pride to be safeguarded and passed on to future generations. I support the nomination of Pride to the ‘representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity’ of UNESCO, with free, prior, and informed consent."
A real chance for recognition
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is preparing to nominate Pride for UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The final decision will be made by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee.
Recognition will not create automatic legal protection, but it would affirm Pride's global cultural significance, raise its visibility, and encourage communities and governments to safeguard it for future generations.
From teenagers taking part in their first Pride to people who remember when being openly gay was illegal, more than 700 people have shared what Pride means to them.
Here are some of their voices:
« بالنسبة إلي، الـPride يعني الحرية، وتقبّل الذات، والقدرة على أعيش حياتي على طبيعتي من دون خوف أو خجل. هو تذكير بأن كل شخص من حقه يحب، وينحب، ويحصل على الاحترام والأمان مهما كان مين هو. والـPride مش بس احتفال، هو كمان تذكير بكل الأشخاص اللي ناضلوا قبلنا حتى نقدر نعيش اليوم بقدر أكبر من الحرية والمساواة. »
“For me, Pride means freedom, self-acceptance, and being able to live my life as I am, without fear or shame. It is a reminder that everyone has the right to love, be loved, and receive respect and safety, no matter who they are. Pride is not just a celebration; it is also a reminder of all the people who fought before us so that we can live today with greater freedom and equality.”
– Anonymous, Netherlands
« Pour moi, la Pride, c'est le sentiment d'appartenance. Pas seulement à la communauté, mais aussi au monde. En tant que lesbienne, je me suis souvent sentie à part. Je pensais que je ne trouverais jamais ma place, ni les gens comme moi. Mais il y a deux ans, j'ai participé à ma toute première marche des fiertés et cela a changé ma vie. Je me suis sentie reconnue, acceptée, chez moi. Chaque personne LGBT+ devrait pouvoir vivre cela. »
“To me, Pride is the feeling of belonging. Not only in the community, but also in the world. As a lesbian, I have often felt like an outsider. I thought that I’d never find my place, my people. But a couple of years ago, I went to my very first Pride parade and it changed my life. I felt seen, accepted, at home. Every LGBTQ+ person should be able to experience that feeling.”
– Camille, France
“I still remember being gay in 1963 California where my very existence was literally illegal! Insulted, spit on, physically aggressed, chased through the streets, harassed by police officers, and more, I can't tell how important the birth of Pride was and remains for me. Thank you for having the courage and insight to make Pride an officially recognised part of our world's cultural heritage!”
– Douglas, Switzerland
“O Orgulho LGBT+ é uma força motriz de luta ético-política pela vida, liberdade e demais direitos humanos de quem integra essa grande e potente comunidade que caminha na contramão do movimento machista e patriarcal, que busca invisibilizar, enfraquecer e dizimar o ‘amor que fala todas as línguas’. O Orgulho LGBT+ é existência, resistência e enfrentamento de quem crê nesse amor e o vive.”
“Pride is a driving force behind the ethical and political struggle for life, freedom, and other human rights for those who are part of this large and powerful community that goes against the grain of the sexist and patriarchal movement, which seeks to render invisible, weaken, and decimate the ‘love that speaks all languages.’ Pride is about existence, resistance, and standing up for those who believe in this love and live it.”
– Dineri, Brazil
“The value of Pride to me is dignity, visibility, and courage. It reminds me that who I am is not something I should be ashamed of or forced to hide. Pride gives people the confidence to embrace their identity, but it also creates solidarity among people who have experienced exclusion or discrimination. For me, its greatest value is that it transforms personal acceptance into collective action. It is not only about celebrating who we are; it is about challenging the barriers that make people feel they should be ashamed of themselves. Pride reminds me that authenticity can be an act of resistance, and that every person deserves the freedom to live with dignity.”
– Kefa, Tanzania
“La celebración del Orgullo más que un desfile lleno de color, gritos, música y vestimenta se trata de una expresión libre, social y artística. El Orgullo va más allá del desfile que se hace regularmente en junio, va también de las manifestaciones como la fotografía de protesta, el Drag o las Muxes de Oaxaca.”
“Pride celebrations are more than a parade full of color, shouting, music and costumes; they are a form of free, social and artistic expression. Pride goes beyond the parade held every June, encompassing forms of expression such as protest photography, Drag and the Muxes of Oaxaca.”
– Hugo, Mexico
“È un rito, rafforza il senso di appartenenza a una comunità.”
“It is a ritual; it strengthens the sense of belonging to a community.” – Aldo, Italy
“Porque llevo 26 años de felicidad absoluta con mi compañera y lo celebramos a pesar de vivir en el Perú, donde no nos reconocen derechos; lo que no nos impide seguir luchando por nuestros derechos con orgullo y amor.”
“Because I have enjoyed 26 years of absolute happiness with my partner, and we celebrate it despite living in Peru, where our rights are not recognized; that does not stop us from continuing to fight for our rights with pride and love.”
– Gabriela, Peru
“Pride är värt otroligt mycket, särskilt för unga personer som precis kommit ut och får ta del av det queera samhället. Det är också en viktig politisk kraft för att upprätthålla våra rättigheter och visa repressiva krafter och länder att vi finns, behövs och måste få göra det.”
“Pride is incredibly valuable, especially for young people who have just come out and are getting to be part of the queer community. It’s also an important political force for upholding our rights and showing repressive forces and countries that we exist, are needed, and must be allowed to do so.”
– Åke, Sweden
“I am a non-binary & libertarian person. Pride for me is a symbol of my identity, my freedom; this is the proof of my existence, that people like me are not alone.”
– Ariel, Kazakhstan
“The Queer community has given me the vocabulary to express myself (demisexual). I now know I'm a zebra and not a broken horse.”
– Kat, Japan, originally from South
“Strijden voor gelijkheid en tegen discriminatie.”
“Fighting for equality and against discrimination.”
– Piet, Laos
Pride means something different to each of us. But together, our voices show how Pride is carried across generations, borders and cultures – through celebration, resistance, memory and love.
Share your story below and add your voice to the call for Pride to be recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
This campaign is led by Pride Amsterdam and Pride Network the Netherlands in partnership with All Out, supporting the Kingdom of the Netherlands' nomination of Pride for UNESCO recognition.
Amsterdam Pride has been on the Netherlands' national heritage register since 2019 – the foundation for this international bid.
UNESCO requires evidence that the community values this heritage and gives its free, prior, and informed consent: every signature and statement helps build that case.
This campaign is an initiative of
ALSO ENDORSED BY
in alphabetical order
Actum Brazil
Homokomando
LGBT+Movimento
Maningue Diversidade
Strutting Player
Trans Media Watch
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