June is widely recognized as Pride Month, but a handful of Republican governors have bestowed alternative titles that both supporters and opponents view as counterprogramming. The governors of Indiana and Tennessee rebranded June as Nuclear Family Month to celebrate units made up of "one husband, one wife and any biological, adopted or fostered children." In Alabama, it's Strong Families Month, intended to coincide with Father's Day.

The governors of Utah and Arkansas deemed it Fidelity Month, which emphasizes fidelity to faith, country and family. Republican lawmakers in at least four other GOP-controlled states have introduced legislation this year calling for June to be Fidelity Month. An organization pushing that concept was founded by Robert P. George, a Princeton University professor of jurisprudence who has long been a leader on conservative thought.

What the Left Is Saying

LGBTQ+ advocates say Pride Month is not incompatible with family values and view the proclamations as direct challenges to visibility for their community. "You can call it whatever you want, but one thing you're not going to do is take away our pride or take away our joy," said Jordan Braxton, co-president of USA Prides.

Marina Lowe, who leads legal and legislative affairs for Equality Utah, noted that many LGBTQ+ people also value faith and family. "I don't think that these positions need to be in conflict with one another," she said.

Josh Coleman, president of Central Alabama Pride, which has 42 events planned over two weeks including a parade on June 13 and festival June 14, said the celebrations won't be affected by the proclamation. "It's not lost upon LGBTQ people when elected leaders don't recognize or value the visibility of the community," he said. "That's why Pride started in the first place — to make sure the community had a community."

Alex Richardson, chair of the board of directors at Indy Pride in Indianapolis, said he sees the governor's proclamation as a "swipe." He noted that Pride events still celebrate family but in broader terms: "Sure, the governor's right, the nuclear family is worth celebrating. But I think so is the grandmother who raises her grandchildren, or the chosen family that shows up when a blended family can't, or won't... or the weird blended households that are held together by love and effort."

What the Right Is Saying

Conservatives say they're reclaiming cultural space they believe has been overtaken by Pride celebrations. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, said conservative recognitions provide balance because Pride celebrations "were going so far as to make it difficult to celebrate traditional marriage."

Lakie Derrick, a conservative activist who authored Tennessee's measure with a friend, said she did target June to counter Pride Month, which she said "goes against" American values. "We're just reclaiming the culture, and there's no better month to do that than in a month where the culture says we're gonna celebrate something so opposite to what we know to be right," Derrick said.

In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey's proclamation for Strong Families Month says fathers are "the head of the household" and "homes led by a father and mother provide children with the structure and discipline necessary to succeed throughout life."

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, an Illinois Republican, introduced a resolution last year to make June Family Month and to unrecognize Pride Month, saying "Americans are inundated with perverse Pride Month displays and events throughout the month of June that denigrate the nuclear family." The resolution never received a vote.

What the Numbers Show

Pride Month celebrations began in 1970 to mark the first anniversary of the violent police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay bar. They have since expanded to cities worldwide and typically include parades, festivals and performances.

Every Democratic president since Bill Clinton in 1999 has signed a Pride proclamation each year. No Republican president has done so.

Last year, President Donald Trump's Education Department declared June to be Title IX Month and used it to open investigations into schools that allow transgender students to use bathrooms or locker rooms aligned with their gender identities.

One of the few GOP governors who has proclaimed Pride is Utah's Spencer Cox, who did so in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2024, he deemed June a "Month of Bridge Building" before switching to Fidelity Month this year.

A poll released this week found that a two-decade-long increase in acceptance of same-sex marriages and relationships has flattened — largely because more Republicans oppose them.

In Wenatchee, Washington, a school's Turning Point USA chapter was able to get Family Month banners posted on light poles that had previously displayed rainbow flags during June. A local gay rights group, Out NCW, responded by purchasing two billboards and distributing yard signs supporting Pride.

The Bottom Line

The competing proclamations reflect an ongoing cultural debate over the role of LGBTQ+ visibility in public life. Governors who issued conservative alternatives have not answered questions from AP about why their proclamations are all set for June.

Pride celebrations continue this month across the country despite the counterprogramming efforts, with organizers saying the events remain focused on community and commemoration of Stonewall regardless of official recognition. The clash over June designations illustrates how Pride Month has become a focal point in broader debates about family structure, religious liberty and cultural values — a debate that appears far from settled.