Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders unveils VERY Christian alternative to Pride Month as she encourages locals to devote themselves to God

The governor of Arkansas has declared June ‘Fidelity Month’ instead of Pride Month, urging Americans to instead ‘rededicate themselves to God.’

Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders proclaimed this week that June 2026 would be recognized as ‘Fidelity Month’ in Arkansas, but stopped short of confirming whether the designation was meant to counter Pride Month.

‘Here in Arkansas, June is Fidelity Month: fidelity to family, fidelity to country, fidelity to God,’ she said during an interview with Daily Wire.

Pride Month, first recognized at the federal level in 1999 by former President Bill Clinton, kicked off Monday with celebrations of LGBTQ+ culture, history and achievements.

But in the proclamation, which focused heavily on Christian values, Sanders said: ‘Practices that encourage virtue, commitment, responsibility and shared moral foundations strengthen both individuals and their communities.’

‘Fidelity Month provides an opportunity for residents to reflect on and renew commitments to these shared values and institutions,’ she added.

While federal recognition of Pride Month has continued under successive administrations, including Barack Obama and Joe Biden, ‘Fidelity Month’ is only in its fourth year. 

‘Fidelity Month’ was created by Robert P. George, a Princeton University professor, whose organization welcomed Sanders’ declaration with praise. 

The observance is described as ‘a grassroots movement that observes the month of June as a season for rededicating ourselves to God, our spouses and families, and our country and communities,’ according to organizers.

George said in a Friday news release that Arkansans can celebrate ‘by sharing the Fidelity Month symbol on social media, holding community events recalling us to fidelity, and, most importantly, serving their faith, family, and country in their own lives.’

He is also known as the co-author of the 2009 Manhattan Declaration, a manifesto that calls for Christians to ‘civilly disobey’ against laws protecting LGBTQ+ rights.

While Pride Month was absent from Sanders’ proclamation, she later shared a Daily Wire article about ‘Fidelity Month’ and her beliefs in a Facebook post. 

The article’s headline read: ‘Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month, Focusing On Family Instead.’

Sanders, however, was not the only official to sidestep Pride Month in favor of a different June observance.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared June ‘Strong Families Month,’ with her office saying it emphasizes ‘the importance of strong families led by a father and mother,’ according to a news release.

She reiterated her stance in a Monday post on X, writing: ‘I have proclaimed June as Strong Families Month.’

‘The example of my own parents showed me that strong families begin with strong parents,’ Ivey said.

‘We proudly recognize the mothers and fathers raising the next generation and preserving the timeless values that guide Alabama.’

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox joined others in declaring June ‘Fidelity Month,’ similar to a previous Pride Month statement last year in which he emphasized ‘building bridges’ without referencing the LGBTQ+ community. 

Instead, Cox said he planned to spend the month ‘reflecting on the values that bring us together here in Utah – service, respect, and love for our neighbor.’

‘To those celebrating Pride and to all Utahns: may we keep building bridges of understanding and strive always to see the humanity in one another,’ he wrote.

Meanwhile, Arkansas leaders have advanced several measures in recent years affecting the LGBTQ+ community, including legislation to ban gender-affirming care for minors. 

Dolores Wilk, the executive director of Central Arkansas Pride, said in response that the ‘LGBT community is faithful and patriotic,’ according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

He explained that the group is a volunteer-based, nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to ‘unity.’

According to Wilk, a third of participants in the organization’s parade are either ‘faith-based’ or ‘spiritual-based.’

‘We are for the pursuit of liberty, where we want our equal rights,’ he told the outlet.

‘We just want our representatives to represent all the community. You may not understand who we are, but you still represent us.’

The purpose of Pride Month is ‘to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally,’ according to the Library of Congress.

June was chosen as the month of observance as a nod to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York’s Greenwich Village, widely seen as a catalyst for the global LGBTQ+ rights movement. 

In June 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar, arresting employees for serving bootlegged alcohol and patrons for violating state laws against so-called ‘cross-dressing.’

Fed-up customers and crowds in Greenwich Village threw objects at police in an attempt to stop the arrests, sparking six days of protests. 

Former President Bill Clinton, who previously served as Arkansas governor, issued an official proclamation in 1999 federally recognizing June as ‘Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.’