It’s been more than a decade since I was actually in the Pride parade. The Bay Guardian used to have a float every year, something festive and fun, but then the price of entry went way up and the Guardian’s revenue went down, and I was back to being a reporter on the sidelines.
But this year, I got to march with my colleagues at the University of San Francisco. We had a large contingent, and most of us lined up around 11am for a projected noon start time. (We were number 104. Takes a while to get to those numbers.)
Actually, it took until 1:30—because a group of folks protesting the corporatization of pride and the inclusion of police blocked the parade for a while. (Which sent a needed message: The corporate presence was huge. We were right behind Salesforce and US Bank. Fifty years after Stonewall, Pride is now a Brand. Bud Light is the Official Beer).
That made it more of a San Francisco event—in fact, the anti-corporate signs were everywhere.
And still, my 48hills partner Marke B. was able to stand on a stage in front of tens of thousands of people and talk about the issues of queer youth. In front of the Bud Light stands, some real, serious issues got addressed.
Here are some of the images from today:
