The 2025 Pride theme, “Pride without Borders,” calls for the right to equal and equitable support for all members of the rainbow community – both within and outside the community. Pride is, above all, a human rights movement, which in the 1970s was known as the Liberation Days, focusing on protest gatherings on the steps of the Parliament House.

According to the student survey conducted as part of the QueerMieli project, in addition to discrimination related to sexual and/or gender minority status, higher education students reported discrimination related to, for example, functional ability, disability, or health condition. According to the Minority Stress and Discrimination Experiences in Higher Education survey, the majority perceived their higher education environment to be generally safe for rainbow students. Many had positive experiences with fellow students, student associations, and professionals in higher education and student health care, but the responses also revealed several experiences of discrimination, violence, and harassment.

The experience of being seen – let alone accepted – is not a given. Most of us can recall a social situation where we were misunderstood in one way or another, perhaps without the opportunity to correct it. But what if the fear of being misunderstood were a constant part of life, and the consequences of correcting the situation were more serious than a moment of embarrassment?

Stronger recognition of gender diversity in digital systems and spatial solutions, and training current and future professionals in equality promotion and diversity competence, are practices that make a safer world possible for everyone. Societal attitudes are the attitudes of individuals – remember your opportunity to make a difference every day of the year!