Celebrating Pride at the Obama Foundation

A women with light skin tone stands outisde in yellow sunglasses while holding a pride flag at the pride parade along with other women ranging from light to deep medium skin tones

The Obama Foundation and one hundred of our closest neighbors showed up loud and proud to march in the annual Chicago Pride Parade last Sunday. Dressed in custom Pride Obama Foundation swag, our small but mighty contingent joined a chorus of over 1 million attendees and marchers to celebrate a simple fact: love is love.

You can see highlights from the day below.

Celebrating Pride with the Obama Foundation

A zoomed-in image of someone's jeans and a t-shirt with a pride flag hanging out of the back pocket and an Obama pride-colored logo pin attached to the shirt
A man with a medium skin tone and a man with a light skin tone and sunglasses laughs and holds hands as they walk in the pride parade
A young kid with a light-medium skin tone wears a batman mask and holds a poster that reads "Obama Presidential Center" while holding someone's hand with a light skin tone in the pride parade
A woman with a light skin tone and reddish - brown hair stands outside in yellow sunglasses while holding a pride flag outside at the pride parade along with other women ranging from light to deep medium skin tone

As we continue celebrating Pride Month here at the Obama Foundation, we also want to lift up the voices of individuals who are passionate about LGBTQ issues and progress. Stories of understanding and hope have poured in from all corners of the globe and we wanted to share with you a few of our favorites. We hope you’re as inspired by them as we are.

“I am originally from Benin, West Africa. I was raised in a very religious and conservative family. When I moved to the United States in 2007, I had a hard time understanding LGBTQ communities. My wife encouraged me to embrace diversities in a simple way. She told me to think about how we feel as Muslims when we get discriminated against, and how important fighting for equality is for her as a Muslim woman who wears her hijab everyday and faces discrimination. That helped me realize that accepting one another for who we are is the core of American values.”

—Ganiyou G., Chicago, IL

“My dedication to social justice came from growing up as a non-binary trans person in a tiny, conservative village in Ohio. Working as an LGBTQ organizer for the last five years has shown me just how possible changing hearts and minds really is. My passions within my work are training and deep canvassing as they are both acutely focus on human connection and investment.”

—Lindsey C., Swanton, OH

“I am a passionate LGBTQ rights advocate, and I grew up in a small, conservative city in southeast Mexico. For eleven years now, I have been committed to inspiring and empowering the LGBTQ community in my country, helping others see that sexual orientation and gender identity are not at all a disadvantage or a weak spot unless you make them so.”

—Enrique T. M., Mexico City, Mexico

You can also see more of the Obama Administration’s work on equality and social progress here.