Major Pride festival closes permanently over ‘shifting politics and increased hostility’
A US Pride organisation has made plans to close permanently following financial difficulties. (Getty)
A US Pride organisation has made plans to close permanently following financial difficulties. (Getty)
A major Pride organisation has made the “difficult decision” to close permanently over “shifting politics and increased hostility” towards the LGBTQ+ community.
The Board of Directors for Tucson Pride announced on Thursday (22 January) that it planned to cancel the upcoming Tucson Pride Festival and to begin dissolving the 49-year-old company.
A statement published on its website said the decision was regretfully made after “thoughtful discussion and careful consideration” between its newly appointed Board.
“This decision was not made lightly,” the statement reads. “We recognise the deep importance Tucson Pride has held in our community since 1977, serving as a space of visibility, advocacy, celebration, and resilience for nearly five decades.”
While its official statement did not delve into the reasons behind the closure, a statement published in October 2025 on its decision to delay its Pride festival cited a combination of ongoing logistical and financial difficulties.
Officials said at the time that they and other LGBTQ+ nonprofits had been massively impacted by “shifting politics and increased hostility” against the community across the US, which had caused a huge decline in donations and corporate sponsorships.
Businesses have increasingly distanced themselves from Pride and LGBTQ+ organisations over the past few years according to The Guardian. Research into the number of Pride-related social media posts by major US and UK companies found that they had plummeted by 92 per cent since 2023.
LGBTQ+ charities were hit hardest in early 2025 after US president Donald Trump signed a set of executive orders overturning federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, leading companies across the country to scale back their inclusion policies and sponsorships.
Tucson Pride said it planned to refund all donations received for the now-cancelled 2026 festival, including vendor fees, sponsorships, and other prepaid contributions. The donations, it said, would be refunded within 30 to 90 days of its announcement.
“We want to thank the Tucson LGBTQ+ community and its allies for your unwavering support, passion, and commitment over the years. Tucson Pride exists because of you, and its legacy will forever remain part of our city’s history,” the statement continued.
