JOHN YANG: WorldPride, the international LGBTQ plus celebration is underway in Washington, D.C. against the backdrop of the Trump administration rolling back LGBTQ rights and protections, particularly for transgender people.

The co-creator of the ACLU's Freedom to Be campaign, which advocates for trans people's rights, says that makes the event all the more significant.

GILLIAN BRANSTETTER, "Freedom To BE," ACLU: There is nothing that Donald Trump has done or can do to LGBT people that we have not faced before.

We have to show up for one another and show that, no, the power actually lives with us, the people.

And if, you know, he wants us sitting in our home, scrolling on our phones, terrified of what will come next, I think what's important for us to do is remember that courage is contagious.

JOHN YANG: But President Trump's anti DEI policies have led some corporate sponsors to drop out, and some foreign transgender groups have canceled their participation.

June Crenshaw is the deputy director of the Capitol Pride alliance.

The Washington D.C. Group hosting World Pride.

June, when Washington was selected to be the host city for World Pride.

As I understand it, the idea was to it'll be a celebration of the 50th anniversary of D.C.

Pride.

The Washington D.C.

Pride event with what's happened with the second Trump administration has the emphasis and maybe the tone changed.

JUNE CRENSHAW, Capital Pride Alliance: We certainly expected for WorldPride to be a different celebration.

And since the Trump administration, we've had to pivot and really go back to our roots when prides were protests and to really shift to an advocacy type of approach, but not forgetting the fact that we needed to build unity and community and also experience joy.

We weren't prepared for the swiftness of these real horrific actions towards members of our community and really are having to adjust to the new circumstances.

And again, Washington, D.C. is a perfect place for this because it's a place where resistance occurs, activism occurs, but also progress.

JOHN YANG: Some people who are planning to come from foreign countries, sort of outsiders looking in, have expressed concern about personal safety, particularly transgender people.

Three European nations have issued travel advisories.

The Canadian LGBTQ rights group Eagle Canada cancelled its particular participation.

We have a bit of tape here from a member of Toronto's Club for Trans and Binary Swimmers.

Let's take a listen.

RY SHISSLER, Toronto's Purple Fins: Can my team's rights be respective?

Are we going to be arrested just for existing?

Are we going to be assaulted and have the authorities defend us instead of the attacker?

Those are all questions we couldn't definitively say yes to.

So we had to say no, we can't come.

JOHN YANG: What do you say to people who have those feelings?

JUNE CREWNSHAW: Those are really legitimate concerns and we certainly don't want to minimize anyone's safety.

We are asking individuals to consider their safety and their entire circumstances when making a decision to attend.

But for those members of our community that can show up, we're asking you to show up.

It is so important for us to have unity and visibility and resistance in this moment.

The Trump administration wants us to disappear.

And really showing up for WorldPride is a direct no to that request.

ALI ROGIN: A number of longtime corporate sponsors have pulled out, citing the administration's orders on DEI.

Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Comcast have you been affected by that?

JUNE CRENSHAW: We've been impacted by that just as many prides across the nation and even globally.

I would say that we've seen probably a 20 percent reduction in our corporate sponsors than years pass and it's hard to tell the most vulnerable members of our community to be visible, to resist when corporations that have resources and power are not finding avenues to do that.

So it's disappointing, but it sets us back to our roots of, you know, really looking to the community and not brands to advocate for us.

There have been many organizations that have continued to support and to stand with us and we have a long memory of who those individuals are.

JOHN YANG: To be sure, there are celebratory events.

There will be a parade, there'll be a street festival.

What's the overall message you hope comes out of this event?

JUNE CRENSHAW: That we are a strong, resilient group, that we've navigated this before, that there's opportunities for us, you know, again, to show unity, to come together, to develop an agenda of fighting back, that there should be strategies around protecting the most vulnerable members of our community that are losing rights, the ability to serve in the military and a whole sundry of other things that are happening.

We are here.

We're not going anywhere.

And we need to come together and fight back all the horrific laws and the ways in which our community is being targeted.

JOHN YANG: June Crenshaw, thank you very much.

JUNE CRENSHAW: Thank you.