Pride which is celebrated throughout the month every June means different things to different people. For some, its a celebration of hard-won rights and recognition for LGBTQ people. For others, its a party: a chance to see and be seen.For many in our older generation, Pride has to do with the resilience and determination it took to make it through some pretty tough times. Related The GOP is hopping mad after a city outsmarted its Pride flag ban PLUS: Pedro Pascal prances to Todrick Halls gayest song ever. Basically, were proud we survived all the s**t thats been thrown our way. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today Honestly, most of us thought the worst of those hard times were behind us, at least in the United States.Alas,it was not to be.But if people think the open hostility of the Trump administration to LGBTQ+ people and our concerns means our community will now roll over and play dead, they know even less about us than we thought.Since the two of us left the United States at the end of 2017, weve now celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride all over the world.In Istanbul, which used to have the largest Pride parade in the Islamic world, Pride is now banned. Despite that, brave activists still march, using social media alerts to evade the police pursuing them with water cannons and tear gas.In 2021, we joined them, and when the police finally caught up with us, we got tear-gassed right along with everyone else. Things were better the following year in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina.But there was enough local opposition to LGBTQ+ rights that the Pride Parade was confined to a three-block stretch, carefully guarded by security. But remember what we said about resilience and determination? The celebration was unstoppable, and Sarajevo ended up being one of the most moving Prides weve ever attended.Last year, we were in Oslo, Norway for Pride, and the event was a joyous, city-wide celebration seemingly without any controversy at all. It made a nice change after Istanbul and Sarajevo.(But sadly, two years before, a man killed two people and seriously wounded nine others in anattack on Oslo Pride, proving that hate knows no borders.) In our travels, weve visited lots of other places where LGBTQ+ visibility is common, like Reykjavik, where the Rainbow Street, known locally as Sklavrustgur, celebrates Pride year-round.And London, where we visited Leadenhall Market, which stood in for Diagon Alley in one of theHarry Potterfilms. From 2021 to 2023, it hosted an installation showing the evolution of the Pride flag perhaps a subtle dig at J.K. Rowlings increasingly unbalanced anti-trans views. On the other hand, in many of the other places weve visited, weve seen no signs of LGBTQ+ visibility at all. The more repressive and anti-democratic a place is, the more likely this is to be.Which brings us back to America, which is definitely now at a crossroads when it comes to the treatment and visibility of its LGBTQ+ residents.Yes, yes, it was such a sick burn by the Trump administration to proposerenaming the S.S. Harvey Milk a ship named after the famous civil rights leader during Pride Month. And also to ban the flying of Pride flags on government buildings, and toopenly pressure corporationsto end their sponsorship of Pride events.And, yes, the administration is now encouraging other countries to harass and intimidate their LGBTQ+ citizens too, includingbanning their Pride events.This is having a real impact on this years Pride, with many events already canceled.Sure, they can cancelevents, but do these people really think they can cancel Pride?Have these folks honestly never watchedHow the Grinch Stole Christmas?Just like Christmas isnt about packages, boxes, and bags, Pride isnt about floats, music, and glitter.Its about a feeling ofpride, God damn it!Well, maybe its about prideandglitter. Because the world always needs a little bit of glitter now more than ever.Anyway, just like the Grinch couldnt stop Christmas from coming, Donald Trump and his minions cant stop Pride from coming either. The forces of ignorance and repression couldnt stop it in Istanbul or Sarajevo, and they cant stop it in America either.Its June, and news flash: It came! Somehow or other, it came just the same!And now Pride is here.Celebrate it andfeelit.Happy Pride, Everyone! And heres hoping for better times ahead. Michael Jensen is an author, editor, and one-half of Brent and Michael Are Going Places, a couple of traveling gay digital nomads.Subscribe to their free travel newsletter here.Brent Hartingeris a screenwriter and author. Check out my new newsletter about my books and movies atBrentHartinger.com.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.