Recently it was the annual LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration in San Francisco; many other major U.S cities as well. San Francisco's Pride Parade and Pride Weekend is like none other in the U.S, since it has long been a place for those from all walks of life to congregate, work, and live their lives to the fullest without judgement. Nothing captures the essence of what truly is San Francisco than Pride Weekend; that being a place for anyone and everyone to be accepted, for innovation, and being the trailblazers that we are.
Given the SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage, this year was extra special, and it was only appropriate that this year's theme for the parade was equality above all else. If your instagram feed was anything like mine, then literally everything must have turned rainbow. Growing up here, I had honestly never gone to any of the Pride Festivities before. I had thought: "This isn't my event to celebrate; this doesn't apply to me. I'd be so out of place." But that's completely against the point. While the over-arching theme of pride is for people for the LGBT community to be proud of who they are, be free and fearless. I was completely missing the point. Pride is for anyone who comes with an open mind, and who wants to have a good time. And that was precisely my experience.
With all of the micro neighborhoods, and social stratification that exists within the city, one never feels like they are getting a comprehensive look at the whole city. At pride, you get a small glimpse of each sectors unique culture, whether they are marching in the parade or on the street watching it next to you. You'll see young boys presenting female for the first time, where they finally get to feel alive, and couples who are unafraid to hold hands for the first time, and drag queens who can do their makeup better than you can. You'll see groups marching in the parade that you never knew existed, like "The Pink Pistols", a gay gun-advocacy group, or Mormons for Gays, and other religious organizations showing their solidarity. You may even see a few naked bodies, but hey, its legal here. You'll definitely feel overdressed in jeans and a tshirt, and you'll see tech company after tech company with floats even more extravagant than the next. Regardless of how you feel about the tech boom, it is an active representation of both the new and the old San Francisco. I mean, where else are you going to see a bunch of leather clad people dancing on a cable car?
Besides the parade, there are many other celebrations about town. Of course, some of the biggest events are held in the Castro District where you'll see some of the most attractive, yet also the most unattainable men ever. One of the most well known is the Pink Party at gay bar The Lookout where it is almost always packed with people having the time of their lives. The crowds at Dolores Park, a popular Mission District Hangout, are even bigger during pride weekend, as well as at Civic Center. There is certainly no shortage of performances and spectacles to see. Highlight of my day was seeing a pink poodle and sitting in a rainbow Tesla car, but that's just me.
Before you right me off as just some crazy bleeding heart California girl, I'm gonna let you know that I don't own any tie-die, a hybrid car, and I'm not the biggest fan of Big Government. What I will tell you is that socially, we should be allowed to be who we want, do what makes us feel happy and alive. Going to SF Pride, I believe, couldn't be a more perfect way of celebrating our individual differences, while bringing people who may have never crossed paths, together.
