The 53rd annual Pride events in San Francisco reached a conclusion under the theme of “Looking Back and Moving Forward.” Bringing the Bay Area community together in a display of unity and progress, the celebration featured a range of parties, activities and the Pride Parade on Sunday.
Oakland resident Raquel Patterson attended SF Pride from the East Bay and said she was excited to participate in her first SF Pride after moving to Oakland earlier this year.
“I’m so happy that I can come to a safe place where people can celebrate being themselves,” Patterson said. “This year’s theme should remind everyone that the LGBTQIA+ community has come a long way through progress made by our community’s history.”
This year’s Pride event theme celebrates the vast historical progress the LGBTQIA+ community has made and looks into the future of the progress that still needs to be made through activism. Already 13 states have passed bills similar to Florida’s infamous ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that bans gender identity and sexual orientation.
Also in attendance at the Pride Parade were Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi has a history of support for the LGBTQIA + community, dating to 1987 when she was one of the few active Congress members participating in the Lesbian and Gay Rights March in Washington, D.C.
Major companies such as META, BART, Tesla and Kaiser Permanente were present with their floats in the Pride parade and showed their allyship for the community.
“I’m happy to see Kaiser Permanente’s support for the community through a major event like SF Pride,” said San Francisco nurse practitioner Reina Abeyta. “Especially in the post-pandemic world we live in today, health education and awareness should always be important elements of society that we take seriously.”
SF Pride was also met with its usual conservative protests that don’t support the event. A small crowd of protestors stood at the beginning of the Pride parade route on Market Street.
Seal Beach resident Simeon Nichols attended the event and said there was zero room for hate, bigotry and division at SF Pride.
“I’m from Orange County and there are certain parts of Southern California that still cultivate hate for the gay community,” Nichols said. “I wanted to get as far as I could to celebrate the community I’m proud to be a part of. I won’t let them get the best of my experience I plan to have at an event that celebrates love.”
