By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS – LGBT Politics USA
RALEIGH, NC — (June 22, 2025) — Thousands filled the streets of downtown Raleigh this weekend for the annual Raleigh Pride Festival, rallying under the powerful banner: “Equality Hurts No One.” What began as a celebration quickly became a statement — of unity, resilience, and unwavering LGBTQ+ visibility across North Carolina.
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The free public festival, hosted by the LGBT Center of Raleigh, also served as a critical fundraiser supporting the center’s year-round programs. Booths offered free HIV and STI testing, mental health resources, and direct access to LGBTQ+-affirming counselors.
More than a dozen inclusive churches joined the festivities, including Lutheran, Mennonite, Baptist, and United Methodist congregations. One booth by Saint Francis of Cary featured a prominent banner declaring: “Christ invites all to the table.”
The festival also welcomed lighthearted touches of Pride and community love. The SPCA of Wake County gave away engraved ID tags in celebration of “Purrrrrrrride,” while independent vendors lined the streets with merchandise promoting self-expression and empowerment. Popular T-shirt slogans included: “March to the Beat of Your Own Pronouns” and the widely shared “Equality Hurts No One.”
Among the creative talents was local artist Melinda Ewbank, whose hand-painted Pride pun cards sparked smiles across the crowd. Her business, Happy Cabbage, featured heartfelt designs with messages like “I Have So Mushroom in My Heart for You” and “Not All Happy Endings Need a Prince.”
Despite the joyful celebration, the event was framed against an increasingly hostile national backdrop. Earlier this week, the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to defund the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ support services, a move advocates call dangerously regressive.
Still, as the crowd swelled throughout the day, a wave of joy, resistance, and community empowerment swept through the city. Raleigh Pride 2025 will be remembered not just for its turnout — but for its message.
“Equality hurts no one — but silence does.”
As anti-LGBTQ+ policies continue to gain ground, Raleigh Pride stood tall — reminding the nation that love, visibility, and equality are not optional. They’re essential.
Stay with JRL CHARTS for ongoing coverage of LGBTQ politics and pride events nationwide.
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