4 states offering pride month alternatives that celebrate family

1. Indiana

On June 1, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun issued a proclamation declaring June "Nuclear Family Month." The document states that the nuclear family, "consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted or fostered children, is God's design for the family structure and has been the foundation of society since the creation of the world."

The Republican governor, in a social media post announcing the proclamation, shared that he is a father of four and a grandfather of seven. Braun stressed that he has seen "firsthand the impact that loving, committed families can have across multiple generations."

"As we approach America's 250th anniversary, this proclamation recognizes the important role families play in shaping the future of our state and our country," Braun stated.

The Indiana governor vowed that the state would continue supporting policies that "strengthen families and help the next generation thrive."

Katy Faust, founder of Them Before Us, an organization that advocates for children's rights, praised Braun's proclamation.

"Sociologists on the left and right agree that children are most likely to thrive when raised by their married mother and father in a permanent union," Faust wrote in a June 2 X post.

"When one or the other is missing, children suffer increased risk of abuse, neglect, poverty, crime, teen pregnancy, are more likely to end up in foster care, and have poor mental, emotional and physical health outcomes," the advocate continued.

"Repeating 'love makes a family' or the pronouncement of five Supreme Court justices cannot change that biological reality," she added.

Others, such as Sam Barloga, communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party, were critical of Braun's proclamation.

"Hoosiers are done with the constant culture wars from the Beckwith-Braun administration," Barloga said in a statement earlier this month to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Barloga criticized the Braun administration for not participating in a food aid program for low-income schoolchildren, claiming that "Hoosiers need real pro-family fighters at the Statehouse."

"It's time for a state government that supports every Hoosier family," Barloga declared.