Moving Pride Forward, In Five Words or Less

It’s a classic Pride celebration scene: The streets of San Francisco, New York City and other communities across the world become emblems of celebration and unity, sharing empowering visuals with language that exists as printed, drawn or scribbled statements on posters.

Converse rallied a roster of talented artists and illustrators to take those statements and posters to the next level. 

With its LGBTQ+ community partners, including organizations such as Happy Hippie Foundation and the It Gets Better Project, Converse encouraged LGBTQ+ friends, family, and community members to submit an all-encompassing Pride message on social media, in five words or less. A selection of those statements was given to Converse creatives and community artists–including Ionut Radulescu, Rooney and Liam Donnelly–who transformed the words into works of poster art, spanning a range of colors and typographic stylings. Check out a preview of the collection below. The full lineup of posters will live on converse.com.

“There is so much that attempts to separate our beautiful and diverse queer community,” says Rooney, a Brooklyn-based illustrator. “The reality is that we are so much stronger together. We belong together. When we unite to own our pride and display it in the form of these posters, for example, we wield the power to move forward. Together. Festivals and parades aside, pride to me means unity.”

The project aligns with the debut of this year’s Converse Pride Collection designed by Miley Cyrus, which includes footwear and streetwear apparel for upcoming Pride celebrations. All net proceeds of the collection will support LGBTQ+ youth community partners globally, including the Happy Hippie Foundation, It Gets Better Project, Minus 18 and RainbowYOUTH.

The Converse Pride Collection designed by Miley Cyrus is available now exclusively on converse.com and at select Converse stores.