Levi’s honors dykes on bikes & leather daddies with Pride collection that keeps rainbows on the DL

While the current administration has been working tirelessly to silence the queer community, the importance of Pride Month has never felt more urgent and essential.

The right wing’s anti-LGBTQ+ dystopian plan has led to a rise in the cancellation of Pride festivals due to lack of funding over DEI backlash and the abandonment by corporations who fear White House retaliation despite previously splashing rainbows all over logos and apparel during the month of June.

But not everyone has deserted us.

On Wednesday, we told you how Converse debuted their new Pride collection, which upped the rainbow eleganza to 100 with merch that supports several LGBTQ non-profits.

How about we take this to the next level?

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On the other end of the spectrum, Levi’s is taking a different approach in how they show their unwavering support to the community. The iconic denim brand’s 2026 Pride collection is ditching the rainbows and instead celebrating the grittier side of queer resilience by taking inspiration from the gay motorcycle clubs of the early LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Bull dykes and leather daddies, rise!

Gay motorcycle clubs

Gay motorcycle clubs go back to the 1950s and were initially a way for queer men to assemble in a safe space and form camaraderie. LA’s Satyrs Motorcycle Club is considered to be the longest running group having been established in 1954. By the ’70s, the biker bands had exploded in popularity with clubs across the nation, including: NY’s Empire City Motorcycle Club, Stonewall Knights in South Florida, and the queer women-focused Dykes on Bikes.

Entitled “Together We Ride”, the Levi’s collection “pays homage to the trailblazers who carved out spaces of belonging on the open road, reminding us that Pride is not only a celebration, but an act of visibility and survival,” the company said in a statement.

And to make sure they were keeping it authentic as possible, Levi’s collection took inspiration from leather, hardware and graphics sourced by the GLBT Historical Society archives in San Francisco.

The merch is focused on the biker aesthetic with items that include a leather-like coated denim vest and chaps “designed to capture the look and spirit of the open road.” That and your favorite local fetish bar.

No kink-shaming in this house.

Other pieces include a Pride Cropped Muscle Tank, denim Pride Trucker Jacket emblazoned with “Free to Be” graphic with a pink triangle on the back, a studded pair of Levi’s 501s, and a Pride Biker black bandana.

Perhaps Charlie XCX is right, rock and roll is back!

Rainbows for all

There’s also a monochromatic Rainbow Motorcycle Club t-shirt that is devoid of any vibrant hues. Black is our favorite color anyway.

But for those looking for a more stereotypical Pride moment, Levi’s does include their Pride community tee with the brand’s logo immersed inside a standard rainbow. Everybody wins.

Naysayers may think Levi’s going 99% rainbow-free for the Pride collection gives the line a more universal appeal that offers a way to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in a very subtle way so as to not “offend” the homophobic Karens of the world. Yet, it also satiates members of the queer community that bemoan companies slapping rainbows on everything for 30 days as a performative act that doesn’t really benefit the gays.

While we should be loud and proud, does Pride merch have to be?

What’s interesting is, that as of press time, Levi’s has yet to promote the Pride line on Instagram or TikTok despite it being available as of May 19th.

Since Levi’s is also donating $100,000 to Outright International, a global organization working to advance human rights for LGBTQIA+ people all over the world, we are giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are not keeping the Pride line on the down low and will be promoting it on social media in the days to come. Stay tuned.

The entire Levi’s Pride 2026 collection is available for purchase on Levi.com and in select Levi’s stores now.

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