At the 2025 Nashville Pride Festival, show up where others have stepped back
In Middle Tennessee, Pride has always been more than a celebration — it's a homecoming. It's a season when our city bursts with joy, resilience and love. When music fills the air, color transforms the streets, and community stands shoulder to shoulder in its boldest form.
And this year, the spirit matters more than ever.
2025 has brought its challenges. Like many organizations, we are facing financial setbacks due to the loss of several longtime supporters. These challenges have left us with a significant budget gap at a time when our visibility, safety and celebration matter more than ever.
Still, we remain committed to delivering the kind of Pride our community deserves: joyful, powerful and rooted in purpose.
More: Nashville Pride Festival announces 2025 lineup: Kim Petras, 4 Non Blondes, Big Freedia
Pride has never been about convenience. It's about conviction. And in a year where LGBTQ+ rights are being debated, targeted and legislated against, our joy is an act of resistance. Our visibility is a protest.
And our gathering — louder, brighter and braver than ever — is a promise to our community:
We are still here.
Formally since 1988, Nashville Pride has existed at the intersection of celebration and protest. What began as a small picnic has grown into one of the largest Pride events in the South — held in the shadow of the State Capitol and the glow of Broadway.
It's a space where love is loud, joy is justice, and every person belongs.
This year, the 2025 Nashville Pride Festival & Parade will welcome over 240 vendors and a record number of participants in the parade. There will be local businesses, community organizations and nonprofits, as well as new and returning sponsors who have said 'yes' when it mattered most.
Their support reminds us that Pride doesn't shrink in the face of pressure. It expands. It adapts. It rises.
If you've ever felt the magic of Pride — a shared glance, a burst of laughter, a moment of finally feeling seen — this is the year to lean in. To march with purpose. To stand a little taller. To celebrate even louder.
Buy a ticket. Make a donation. Sign up to volunteer. Become a sponsor.
Show up where others have stepped back.
In a year marked by retreat, your support isn't just meaningful — it's vital.
This is not the time to stand on the sidelines. This is the time to show up for our city, our future and each other. Pride isn't about perfection. It's about persistence. It's about choosing hope over fear, and presence over silence.
More: Why Tennessee ranks as high risk for gay and transgender people
It's about showing up — not just when it's easy, but especially when it's not.
Pride belongs to all of us. And this year, it needs every one of us.
Join us as the 2025 Nashville Pride celebration kicks off with the first-ever Friday Night Concert on June 27 at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
The Pride Parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, beginning at Broadway and 8th Ave.
And the Pride Festival continues June 28-29 at Bicentennial Park.
Let's keep marching, keep dancing, and keep building a future where everyone is free to live, love, and thrive — right here in Tennessee.
The Nashville Pride Board of Directors leads the organization's year-round efforts to serve and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community across Middle Tennessee.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville needs your help to celebrate Pride Month | Opinion
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'They'll validate you just enough to build trust, then later use your words or vulnerabilities to deflect blame or gain control,' Dr. Kelley says. Dr. Cohen makes a similar point about how high-level gaslighters often exploit the fact that you're a caring person. 'They use your values, like compassion or loyalty, against you,' he says. They may say something like, 'You're supposed to be understanding, not accusing me,' when you try to set boundaries or discuss a makes phrases like that work, he continues, is that it leads you to doubt yourself. The gaslighter presents you as the 'bad guy' for something as normal as having an emotion or a question. Sensitive people and empaths are particularly vulnerable to high-level gaslighters, Dr. Kelley adds, because they're more likely to doubt themselves and lean toward Have you ever brought up a time they said something hurtful, and they swear it didn't happen? That can be another sign.'They conveniently 'forget' critical events or conversations, especially the ones that prove your version of reality,' Dr. Cohen says. 'Over time, you question your memory, become hesitant to trust your gut and depend more on them for 'truth.''Sometimes, people genuinely remember things differently. The difference is, they aren't trying to manipulate you or make you question your sanity by saying so. It's easier to point out an outright lie (even though a high-level gaslighter may deny that too). But another piece that makes their gaslighting high-level (and therefore harder to notice) is the fact that they frequently don't go for a complete lie. Instead, they twist the story just enough to confuse. Dr. Kelley calls it 'strategic misdirection.''They may say things that are vague, contradictory or half-true, so if you confront them, it's easy for them to flip it back on you,' she says. 'It keeps you in a mental fog, constantly trying to decode what's real.'Phrases they may use, she continues, are 'That's not what I said' and 'You misunderstood me.' And again, what makes that so confusing is that misunderstandings do happen and aren't always manipulative. With a gaslighter, though, trust that they When you're doubting yourself, your perceptions and your reality, you may turn to a loved one or other person who was there. Did what you think happened really happen? Be aware that their perception may not be accurate either. High-level gaslighters 'cultivate strong, positive impressions with others (bosses, friends, therapists) so that if you confront them, they can subtly frame you as unstable or overreactive to others,' Dr. Cohen says. In other words, your coworkers or friends might not see the gaslighter's bad side, so they feed you the same (wrong) information. This is a form of triangulation, or bringing a third person into the conflict or to complicate things.'It isolates the target and discredits them while the gaslighter maintains credibility,' Dr. Cohen adds. As a result, you may feel—or worry you're seen as—even more 'crazy.' This gives the gaslighter more Kelley shares a major sign. 'They might make small comments to others about you, hint at your instability or share selective versions of events, all while playing the role of the 'reasonable' one,' she says. 'Over time, you may feel more and more alone, unsure of who you can trust. That isolation is exactly what makes their version of reality too hard to challenge.'Related: Take notes on what's happening, even if and when you don't trust your judgment.'Keeping a written or digital log of conversations, events or patterns creates an objective record you can refer back to,' Dr. Cohen explains. 'Be specific with dates and times and verbatim quotes. This counters their manipulation of facts and helps you reclaim your sense of reality.'Besides writing what was said, note how it makes you feel and what your body is telling you. 'The patterns start to reveal themselves when you see it in writing,' Dr. Kelley even if it doesn't feel true now, it may feel true the keyword is 'privately.' Where can you put these notes so the other person won't see them?Related: After your reality has been denied, it's understandable and common to distrust your intuition.'Gaslighting disconnects you from your internal compass,' Dr. Kelley affirms. Try to get that back. Journaling and paying attention to how your body feels, as mentioned above, are helpful ways to do this. Whether you're setting a boundary around how they talk to you, physical space or something different, know you're allowed to, no questions fact, not explaining may turn out in your favor. 'High-level gaslighters often twist your reasoning,' Dr. Cohen says. 'By setting firm, concise boundaries without overexplaining, you reduce their opportunities to manipulate your words.' If they ask for an explanation or justification, he suggests saying something like 'I'm not available for that conversation right now' or 'I've made my decision.' This can help you avoid getting pulled into a debate (that's impossible to win).Related: When someone is lying or has lied for a while, it can feel empowering to call them out. But remember, that won't be as healing as it may seem, nor is it necessary. 'If the relationship leaves you feeling confused, anxious or constantly self-doubting, that's enough,' Dr. Kelley says. 'Emotional safety is reason enough to set boundaries or walk away.'Related: When you feel 'crazy,' having someone to back you up and provide validation and perspective can mean so much. 'Whether it's a friend, therapist or support group, being heard and believed can be a turning point,' Dr. Kelley says. 'A validating conversation can re-anchor you in what's true.'Dr. Cohen speaks to the specific ways a therapist can help. 'A professional, in particular, can help you name what's happening and develop grounded strategies to protect yourself emotionally and psychologically,' he says. 'Create your own group of trusted advisors to check your reality and offer helpful support and practical guidance.' Up Next:Dr. Harry Cohen, PhD, psychologist and author Dr. Amelia Kelley, PhD, trauma-informed therapist, researcher, podcaster and author 4 Common Habits of High-Level Gaslighters, According to Psychologists first appeared on Parade on Jun 8, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
