PHOTOS: LGBTQ+ Pride Lights Up the Bay Area In All Its Rainbow Glory

This weekend, the absence of an official San Francisco Pride Parade made room for things to get a lot weirder, more political and more D.I.Y.

Instead of corporate-sponsored floats with rainbow advertisements, a People’s March organized by artists and activists took over the streets on Sunday, June 27, connecting the celebration back to its radical roots.

“Yes, this feels like my people, everyone is so beautiful,” Gia Loving, a community organizer with the Transgender Law Center, told the crowd. “[This feels like] 51 years ago when we were kicking the pigs out of the bar.”

She was referring to the Stonewall Riots in 1969, when New York’s gay and trans community rioted against abusive police officers who would routinely raid their safe spaces and arrest people based on gender presentation and sexuality. Loving reminded the audience that the fight isn’t over: State legislatures across the country have introduced over 100 bills to restrict trans rights just this year alone.

“I want to be clear that there would be no Pride without trans youth,” she said before leading the demonstrators in a chant.

Other speakers focused on Pride as an antidote to the isolation and trauma Americans experienced over the last year-plus of the pandemic.

“Last year, there was a moment when I felt as though I was stuck. I couldn’t be on Facebook, I couldn’t be on social media, I couldn’t interact,” said renowned drag queen and activist Juanita MORE! “And then, recently, I felt as though I woke up again, and I knew that I was again creating space for me to grow. All of you being here today is so important because this is what the first Pride felt like. So I want to thank you all for being a part of the march and rally today, because your presence here today is proof that inclusiveness is happening.”

That spirit of inclusiveness was deeply felt throughout the weekend as different LGBTQ+ communities reunited, fully vaccinated and ready to hug, march, dance, flirt and celebrate in person. KQED’s Beth LaBerge was there to capture it all with her camera.