Downtown, Out Loud: Amplifying LGBTQ+ Voices with Pride in the City
What does Pride mean to you?
This question was at the heart of our latest campaign, a month-long celebration of Pride in the City. By turning to Downtown Phoenix’s LGBTQ+ community, we initiated meaningful conversations that explored how our neighbors define, express, and identify with Pride.
By collaborating with local LGBTQ+ leaders, business owners, and allies throughout the month, we learned more about their lived experiences and ongoing journeys toward equality and visibility.
This blog takes a comprehensive look at the significance of the Pride in the City campaign, detailing the meaningful branding, powerful messages, and conscious initiatives that reflect our mission toward promoting a Downtown that embraces unity and diversity.
Why It Matters: Building a More Inclusive Downtown
Downtown Phoenix thrives on community, and the Pride in the City campaign embodied that spirit. At its core, our commitment to fostering an inclusive city begins with honoring those who contribute to its dynamic culture and character.
By making a concerted effort for all identities to feel welcomed and supported, we’re building a brighter future for everyone who calls Downtown Phoenix home.
Downtown in Color: A Visual Identity
To bring the campaign to life, we integrated bold and colorful elements into our branding to creatively represent aspects of local LGBTQ+ culture and identity.
Each icon served as a visual anchor, reflecting our community’s richness across various platforms, including our organization’s social media and online presence, email newsletter, print collateral, What's Happening Guide, and placemaking efforts.
Spotlight on Local Voices
Our outreach to leading LGBTQ+ voices in Downtown Phoenix led to meaningful connections and a deeper understanding of their enduring strength in overcoming adversity. These interactions allowed us to amplify (often unheard) stories and create spaces where everyone feels seen.
Throughout our conversations, we uncovered themes of bold self-expression and resilience. Each sentiment brought validity and identity to the campaign, reminding us that Pride is as multifaceted as the people it represents.
In addition to highlighting local LGBTQ+ leaders and business owners on social media and in the weekly DTPHX Insider newsletter, we launched a strategic PR and Marketing campaign that garnered over 200,000 impressions on in-feed social media posts, and nearly 30,000 views of the DTPHX Insider newsletter. These communications highlighted the defining moments of Pride and adversity in entrepreneurship, leadership, and allyship in 2025.
A Community Celebration of Pride
To commemorate the campaign, we co-hosted the Pride in the City Celebration, an open invitation for the community to gather for a curated evening of creativity and connection.
The event featured inspiring artist talks, live music, raffle prizes, professional headshots, giveaways, and opportunities to connect with the local LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
In addition to being a *fabulous* community celebration, it emphasized the powerful notion of what can happen when we unite and uplift those around us.
Strengthening Allyship + Advancing Equality
True inclusion requires action, and by partnering with impactful organizations like ONE Community, we reaffirm our daily commitment to building a more inclusive, equitable community where everyone belongs and can thrive.
This Pride Month and beyond, DPI is proud to support ONE Community’s UNITY Pledge — Arizona’s largest equality pledge dedicated to advancing workplace equality for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies.
As part of the campaign, we encouraged community members, businesses, and organizations to sign the pledge and commit to creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome, valued, and safe.
Pride Month and Beyond
Together, we continue to push for a Downtown where diversity is not only accepted but proudly recognized.
To everyone who shared their stories, joined the celebration, signed the UNITY Pledge, or showed up as an ally: Thank you. Your voice, presence, and passion made this campaign a meaningful success and a powerful reminder that Pride is alive in every corner of Downtown Phoenix.