This drag queen was the first thing in the pride parade and it was a fantastic start to a great experience. All photos in this post were taken by me.
If you frequently read what I’ve written on this website, you may have picked up on the fact that I’m not that into gay pop culture (I write mostly about negative news stories) and, as such, have not been too interested in pride events. I found out that there was going to be a pride parade and pride festival in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and figured it would be a good thing to go to with my boyfriend so I can check it out and see if it’s something I would go to again. And let me tell you, I did have a great time. In this particular parade, many different groups were represented which definitely matters to me. Now let’s get on with my experience, shall we?
My boyfriend (left) and me waiting for the parade to start.
There was a fair amount of people waiting for the parade to start, some rainbow-clad, some shirtless, some showing their top surgery scars as I presume, a way to show their trans pride. I didn’t get any pictures of them because… well I didn’t know if they would appreciate that so I erred on the side of caution. The drag queen in the featured picture above started off the parade with a nice flair that set the tone for the rest.
Like I mentioned above, the parade really included mostly everyone such as
Lesbian bikers,
Goths,
Dinosaurs,
Bards,
And many more. It was very nice to see so many different groups being represented (even though I don’t fully understand what Jurassic Park has to do with pride) while sticking to the central theme: pride in who you are, regardless of what others may think.
At this point, I was pleased with how comfortable people were to express themselves so openly and without care. But what I was really pleased to see was how people of faith came out (pardon the accidental pun) in support of LGBTQ people and rights. There was one woman who was holding a sign that said “God loves pride,” which I thought spread a positive message that one can be gay and also follow a religion. But what made me really happy was the marching band that consisted of disabled LGBTQ people; unfortunately, there aren’t too many platforms for disabled people, let alone LGBTQ ones, so it was nice to finally see that group be represented and show people their musical talent.
I too play bass.
After the parade, I perused the booths at the festival, in which I got two car magnets
My car is even gayer now.
There was an after party that I could have gone to, but me being me and in my infinite banality, I decided not to go as I’m not the biggest fan of parties so I won’t be talking about that.
My analysis of the experience is definitely a positive one. It was very nice to see so many people so comfortable with their sexuality that they could express themselves as they wished and I really appreciated seeing marginalized groups being represented in a positive light. Too many people are unhappy with being LGBTQ and that needs to change. I’ve always known the reason why pride events were held, but experiencing one for myself was definitely something I needed. The people in attendance were very friendly and welcoming and I would recommend this experience to anyone who hasn’t ever gone to a pride event before, as it is not too big and New Hope is a nice little area if you’re close enough to go, and it’s a great way to socialize and be around people with similar interests (and sexual orientations) and it is very important to feel like you belong. I will most assuredly be returning next year – but I’ll wear something rainbow then.
