While millions gather in Washington, D.C., for one of the world’s largest Pride events, the White House remains conspicuously silent on recognizing June as Pride Month.
The Hill reported that President Trump’s administration has declined to issue a formal proclamation for Pride Month in 2025, instead rolling out policies and actions that many see as a direct challenge to LGBTQ advocacy, even as the massive WorldPride celebration unfolds in the nation’s capital.
This isn’t new territory for Trump, who during his first term skipped official Pride proclamations but did nod to the occasion in a 2019 social media post praising efforts to decriminalize homosexuality globally.
Still, in 2025, there has been no public acknowledgment from the president himself. One might wonder if silence speaks louder than tweets in today’s political arena.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on a recent Tuesday that Trump has “no plans” to recognize June as Pride Month.
That’s a stark contrast to predecessors like Clinton, who first declared June a time for pride in 2000, and Obama and Biden, who expanded and continued the tradition. For conservatives, this might feel like a return to prioritizing policy over symbolism, though critics aren’t buying the neutrality angle.
“This is going to come as maybe tough news for the Trump administration to stomach, but June is Pride Month, whether they choose to acknowledge that or not,” said Brandon Wolf, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign.
With all due respect to Wolf, ignoring a calendar designation doesn’t erase history, but it does send a message about where priorities lie. And for many on the right, that message is a welcome recalibration.
Meanwhile, the administration has pivoted to alternative designations, with the Education Department announcing on a recent Monday that June would be recognized as “Title IX Month.”
The focus? Using the 1972 civil rights law to limit transgender students’ access to certain school facilities and sports, a move that aligns with conservative values on fairness in competition, but has ignited fierce backlash from progressive corners.
Adding fuel to the fire, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently ordered the Navy to rename an oil tanker honoring Harvey Milk, a Korean War veteran and pioneering openly gay politician in California.
An official announcement is expected soon during Pride Month, per a Military.com report. For supporters of traditional military focus, this might seem like a correction of misplaced honors, though timing it now does raise questions of intent.
“I don’t agree with it. [Questioning why] we need to rename this ship at this moment,” said retired Adm. James Stavridis on a radio program. While Stavridis has a point about optics, many conservatives might argue that honoring military valor over identity politics is a principle worth defending, regardless of the calendar.
Further, the Navy is reportedly considering renaming other ships named after civil rights icons like Harriet Tubman and Thurgood Marshall, according to CBS News.
Senate Republicans recently blocked a Democrat-led resolution to protect these names, signaling a deeper ideological clash. It’s a reminder that history isn’t just written—it’s rewritten, often with a political pen.
Hegseth, a known skeptic of diversity initiatives, also ended the Defense Department’s recognition of cultural months, including Pride Month, with guidance titled “Identity Months Dead at DoD.” He argued that such efforts “erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution,” a stance that resonates with those who believe the military should focus on unity, not division.
“I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is, ‘our diversity is our strength,’” Hegseth declared in a Pentagon address earlier this year. While that’s a punchy line for the anti-woke crowd, it’s hard to ignore that the military has historically been a ladder for opportunity across all backgrounds, a point even conservatives can appreciate without endorsing every modern policy.
Elsewhere, the military recently ordered transgender service members to self-identify and begin voluntary separation during Pride Month, a decision that aligns with Hegseth’s broader push but lands as a gut punch to advocates. On the right, this might be seen as a pragmatic step to maintain operational focus. Still, the timing couldn’t be more symbolically charged if it tried.
On the legislative front, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., endorsed by Trump, introduced a resolution to declare June as “Family Month,” framing it as a counter to Pride Month. “
By recognizing June as Family Month, we reject the lie of ‘Pride’ and instead honor God’s timeless design,” she told a conservative outlet. For many traditionalists, this is a refreshing reclaiming of values, though it’s bound to be seen as dismissive by others.
Last week, Miller and other Republican lawmakers also criticized a “Sesame Street” social media post supporting Pride Month, accusing PBS of pushing a controversial agenda on children. While the language used by some critics might overreach, the underlying concern about age-appropriate content is one many parents, even moderates, might share.