Brighton Pride: Mariah Carey wears ‘Protect the Dolls’ jacket and vows to ‘always’ be there for LGBTQ+ community
Mariah Carey wore a dress in the colours of the trans Pride flag at Brighton Pride. (Getty)
Mariah Carey wore a dress in the colours of the trans Pride flag at Brighton Pride. (Getty)
Mariah Carey dazzled at Brighton Pride with a sweet display of allyship, donning a custom ‘Protect The Dolls’ jacket and telling her LGBTQ+ fans that she will “always be there” for them.
During her performance at Brighton Pride’s Pride on the Park on Saturday (2 August), the “We Belong Together” hitmaker also wore a glittering mini dress in the colours of the transgender Pride flag.
Carey opened her 90 minute set wearing the dress, which shimmered with pink, blue and white diamantes. She paired the look with a pink bomber jacket, which was emblazoned on the back with “Protect The Dolls” written in rhinestones.
The statement “Protect the Dolls” garnered virality earlier this year after being worn on clothing by a raft of celebrities, including Pedro Pascal, Tilda Swinton, and Troye Sivan.
It was coined by designer Conner Ives, and is meant as a term of support of and solidarity with transgender women. Ives has raised thousands in support of trans charities through selling garments with the phrase on them.
Mariah Carey wearing custom “Protect the Dolls” jacket at Brighton Pride 2025. pic.twitter.com/0wWFELChCi
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) August 2, 2025
Mariah Carey later thanked the LGBTQ+ community for its support as she began performing her US Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Hero”, dedicating the track to her queer fans.
“They’ve been here for me for so long, supported me through good times and bad, and I just wanted you to know I’ll always be there for you,” she told the crowd.
The music legend went on to perform hits from across her 35-year career, including “Fantasy”, “Obsessed” and “Touch My Body”.
She reaffirmed her support for LGBTQ+ folk in a post on social media, shortly after completing her set.
“A special heartfelt thank you to the LGBTQ+ community for your ongoing support. I will always be there for you,” she wrote.
Thank you so much @PrideBrighton for having me tonight! A special heartfelt thank you to the LGBTQ+ community for your ongoing support. I will always be there for you. Love, MC ❤️🌈🦋
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) August 3, 2025
📸 Sam Hussein pic.twitter.com/eXJI0II3GC
Her barnstorming show came five years after she was originally meant to headline Brighton Pride in 2020, but the event was cancelled due to Covid-19.
At this year’s Brighton Pride, some revellers complained on social media of extreme queuing times to enter the city’s Preston Park, where Pride on the Park was held.
The queues led to overcrowding which was dubbed “scary” and “traumatic” by some attendees.
Organisers of the event apologised for lengthy queue times on the Saturday, and vowed to improve the queuing system for Sunday’s show, which saw girl band Sugababes headline.
“We are very sorry for the delays to entry to Pride on the Park and Pride Street Party on Saturday, and apologise for the longer than expected wait times. We thank everyone for their patience on such a busy day,” organisers wrote.
After the changes were made, attendees shared that the situation on day two was “a million times better”.
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