Corporate PRIDE

If you count success in numbers, corporate PRIDE is a success. The local paper says 60,000 people showed up, and I believe it. There were people ten deep for blocks and blocks. The parade went on for nearly 3 hours. Each of the major corporations had a float: airlines, banks, grocery store chains, manufacturers of clothing, even large bars and restaurants. If you were willing to queue up, be searched, and pay $8 (which I did not do), you could go into the grounds where people were selling everything from tacos to T-shirts and funeral policies. Everyone wants the gay dollar. 

If we could get this number of people to turn out to support Black families, unhoused people, refugees, people suffering from mental illness or addiction, or the climate emergency, then maybe something would actually change.

Success in my eyes is this family. I presume some members of this family identify as queer, and at least at the moment of this photo, they feel loved and celebrated by three generations. YAY! 

I made few photos as the crowd was thick, the sun was fierce, and as soon as I got there, I was eager to leave. See Extra.

P.S. My favorite group in the parade (and I didn't see them all, by a long shot!) was the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers. Oh, they were loud and strong and very, very stirring. You can hear a bit of their syncopated drumming here, if you like.