Pride is about identity, a sense of belonging, the recognition of ourselves and others, the value we place on our history, and the way we choose to exist in the world. It can represent the possibility of existing without shame. And it is never neutral. Pride emerges from the intersection of personal experience and social context: it can be a tool of emancipation for historically marginalized communities, but it can also turn into exclusionary belonging, nationalism, spectacle, or simply a marketing strategy. In an age of permanent visibility and instant communication, the boundary between genuine recognition and image-making is becoming increasingly blurred.
Today, speaking about pride means confronting these ambiguities. On the one hand, there is growing attention to self-affirmation, the representation of difference, and the recognition of identities; on the other, new forms of polarization, symbolic appropriation, and the commodification of social struggles are emerging. Organizations, too, are called upon to question the meaning of their choices: supporting inclusion cannot be reduced to communication alone, but requires concrete changes in culture, relationships, and the distribution of opportunities.
In this issue, we explore pride in its many forms and ask how we can build communities in which recognition does not become exclusion, visibility does not become mere performance, and advocacy continues to be a force capable of generating change.