Alternative Prides

What Is an Alternative Pride?

Alternative Prides refer to LGBTQ+ marches or events organized independently from official Pride parades, often emphasizing a more activist and critical approach. These movements have emerged in response to the increasing depoliticization of traditional Pride celebrations, which are sometimes seen as overly commercialized, sponsor-driven, and focused more on festivity than activism.

To counter this trend, LGBTQ+ activists began organizing “alternative” gatherings to re-center the political struggle at the heart of Pride. As Wikipedia notes, “Night Prides are activist-led demonstrations gathering LGBTQI+ individuals who view mainstream Pride events as depoliticized and seek to provide alternatives.” These events echo the original spirit of protest inherent in Pride’s roots—particularly the Stonewall uprising of 1969. As many queer activists emphasize today, “Alternative Pride events will always be necessary, especially as racism, misogyny, and transphobia can combine to make mainstream offerings exclusionary.”

The Rise of Activist Prides in France

In France, alternative Prides started gaining momentum in the mid-2010s. The movement began in Paris in 2015 with the launch of La Pride de Nuit (Night Pride), initiated by Act Up-Paris, OUTrans, Femmes en lutte 93, and other grassroots groups. Held the night before, or alongside, the city’s official Pride parade, the Night Pride responded to growing frustration over the commercialization of Pride and what activists call “pink capitalism.” Paris hosted three Night Prides between 2015 and 2017, drawing strong activist participation. The model soon spread to other cities like Toulouse, Lyon, and Nice. In Lyon, the 2018 Night Pride was organized as a “chosen non-mixity” march, spotlighting anti-LGBTQ+ violence in the city.

Paris’s format evolved after 2017. In 2021, the Pride Radicale (Radical Pride) emerged as a successor to the Night Pride. The Radical Pride brands itself as anti-racist, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, feminist, and deliberately anti-pinkwashing. Organizers criticize the official Pride for becoming a “commercial parade” and call for a return to grassroots activism. During the 2024 event, participants echoed the sentiment: “Either we all have equal rights, or none of us do.” Typically held a week before the mainstream march, the Radical Pride has drawn 30,000 to 40,000 demonstrators in recent editions, with 28,000 attending in 2024—significant numbers when compared to the 110,000 at the traditional Paris Pride. As sociologist Ilana Eloit told Le Monde, the variety of events—from the Radical Pride to the Suburban Pride and the Inter-LGBT parade—reflects a “diversification and enrichment of the movement.”

One of the most noteworthy new initiatives in France is the Pride des Banlieues (Suburban Pride). Launched in 2019 in Seine-Saint-Denis, this event defines itself as “the Pride of the suburbs” and focuses on issues specific to working-class neighborhoods. The Pride des Banlieues not only supports LGBTQIA+ rights but also combats racism, classism, and advocates for better access to health and housing for marginalized LGBTQ+ populations. After a two-year pause due to the pandemic, it returned strongly in 2022 with 10,000 attendees in Saint-Denis, and again in 2025 with thousands marching in La Courneuve. Backed by local associations and some municipalities, Suburban Pride sends a powerful message: “Residents of working-class neighborhoods are no less accepting of LGBTQ people than anyone else in France.”

Reclaim Pride: Global Alternatives

France isn’t alone in this movement—alternative Pride events have gained traction worldwide, with activists reclaiming the tradition to center marginalized voices and protest. Here are some key examples:

• Reclaim Pride (UK): In London, activists launched Reclaim Pride in 2021 to protest the increasing corporatization of Pride in London. Calling it a “People’s Pride,” the event is grassroots, unsponsored, and open to all—reflecting the community’s original spirit in 1972. Its inaugural march on July 24, 2021, drew thousands demanding the end of conversion therapy, gender law reform, and asylum for LGBTQ+ refugees. Supported by UK Black Pride and London Trans Pride, Reclaim Pride has since become an annual staple with a clear message: put LGBTQ+ human rights back at the center, not brand visibility.
• Queer Liberation March (USA): In New York City, the birthplace of modern Pride, the Reclaim Pride Coalition began organizing the Queer Liberation March in 2019 as an outspoken alternative to the sponsored Pride parade. This no-corporate, no-police protest intentionally follows the 1970 route of the first-ever Pride, often in the opposite direction of the commercial march. The 2020 edition showed solidarity with Black Lives Matter and protested police brutality. Now held annually on the last weekend of June, the movement has already announced plans through 2026.

• Orgullo Crítico (Spain): Spain’s Orgullo Crítico (“Critical Pride”) challenges the commercialization of major events like Madrid Pride (MADO). Held annually around June 28, these anti-capitalist demonstrations unite queer radicals, anti-racist groups, students, and grassroots collectives under slogans like “Orgullo es protesta” (“Pride is protest”) and “Stonewall was a riot.” The movement took off in Madrid after 2016 and now represents a vibrant resistance to homonormative, gentrified interpretations of LGBTQ+ identity.
• Dyke Marches and Trans Marches: In North America, marginalized identities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum have created their own spaces. Dyke Marches began in the 1990s to give queer women and lesbians space to reclaim visibility. They happen yearly in cities like San Francisco, New York, and Montréal as non-commercial, inclusive events. Similarly, the Trans March in San Francisco, launched in 2004, is now one of the world’s largest trans-led demonstrations and has inspired similar movements in Paris, Berlin, Vancouver, and beyond.
• Black Prides and Community-Based Prides: Some alternative Prides focus on intersectionality, especially issues of race within LGBTQ+ spaces. UK Black Pride, founded in 2005, is now Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ event for people of color. In South Africa, Soweto Pride has been organized by Black lesbian feminists since 2004 as a response to the exclusion they felt from Johannesburg’s white-dominated Pride. These events highlight issues like hate crimes, poverty, and police violence, reminding us that Pride must also be radically inclusive.

A Movement That’s Evolving and Expanding

Alternative Prides have become a permanent and influential fixture in LGBTQ+ activism. As political climates grow more hostile to queer communities in various parts of the world, these gatherings respond by returning to the protest-oriented roots of Pride. In 2023–2024 alone, increased far-right rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ+ policies sparked a noticeable resurgence in activist-led events. Looking ahead to 2025 and 2026, the trend is set to continue. France’s Pride Radicale renewed its commitment after a strong 2024 showing, and the Pride des Banlieues is expanding its reach. In the U.S., the Reclaim Pride Coalition has already outlined a bold focus on resistance for its upcoming 2025 and 2026 Queer Liberation Marches. These events are aligning Pride with current struggles around trans rights, racial justice, access to healthcare, anti-corporate politics, and more.

Ultimately, the growth of “Alternative Prides” reflects the vitality and diversity of LGBTQ+ activism. Far from merely opposing mainstream Pride, these alternatives complement and reinvigorate