A new survey from dating app Taimi suggests many LGBTQ+ people feel disconnected from Pride Month celebrations, despite June being widely recognized as a time of queer visibility and community celebration. The research surveyed 1,100 queer adults and found that only 59 percent felt at least somewhat represented by Pride Month. Seventeen percent said they had never felt represented, while 14 percent said they were not represented very well and 9 percent said they were not represented at all.
The survey also found concerns about inclusion within mainstream Pride events. Twenty-five percent of respondents said LGBTQ+ people of color, and trans and non-binary people, were underrepresented or excluded. Twenty-seven percent said bisexual and pansexual people were underrepresented, while 29 percent felt queer people living outside major cities were excluded. Respondents also expressed skepticism toward corporate Pride campaigns. Twenty-three percent said they felt suspicious of brands participating in Pride Month marketing, while 19 percent described those efforts as performative.
Nine percent said they actively avoid such brands. Forty-one percent of respondents said they feel pressure to perform during Pride celebrations in ways that do not reflect how they truly feel. One respondent said, “It feels like I’m a performing monkey in a circus.” Another said, “I feel pressure from allies to be more stereotypically gay during Pride Month.” The survey also found that 10 percent avoid public LGBTQ+ spaces during Pride because of the current political climate. The full survey results are available through Taimi.
