Current Affairs

San Francisco Pride was an incredible celebration and protest against Donald Trump

  • Jun 26 2017
  • Written by Josh Jackman
San francisco pride 2017

Thousands attended San Francisco Pride this weekend – to celebrate, but also to demonstrate.

Revellers gathered for the 2017 parade voiced their opposition to Donald Trump, police brutality, a lack of gun control laws and more.

Signs promoting the Black Lives Matter campaign and condemning Trump – while also making fun of him, of course – were nearly ubiquitous.

San Francisco Pride 2017

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“No Ban, No Wall, Welcome Sisters and Brothers” read one less humorous placard.

Attendees were celebrating LGBT pride, and naturally, that meant making their voices heard.

Frank Reyes told Mercury News that he and his husband were marching for the first time in many years, because they felt it had become more important recently to stand up for LGBT rights.

The couple was part of the “resistance contingent,” an activist-led movement which was at the front of the parade.

“We have to be as visible as possible,” said Reyes, who was wearing a silver body suit and gray and purple headpiece decorated with rhinestones.

Paul Brady, Reyes’ husband, added: “Things are changing quickly, and we have to take a stand and be noticed.

“We want to let everybody know that we love each other, that we pay taxes and that we’re Americans, too.”

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Qiaira McPeters, 18, told Reuters: “We see this as a party, not a political protest.”

But despite this, McPeters added that things are getting worse for the community.

“Gay people are getting beat up all the time,” she said.

San Francisco Pride 2017

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Joseph Amster, who conducts walking tours of San Francisco, warned: “This is not just fun, it’s a commemoration of the day gay people fought back.

“If we all forget that, we will be oppressed again,” he added to SFGate.

The city’s Mayor Ed Lee told the crowd: “We cannot let hate win,” while San Francisco Supervisor Jeff Sheehy said it was vital those marching sent a strong message to Washington DC.

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“We need to show our reactions to how so many people and things are under assault now – healthcare is under assault; Muslims are under assault; trans kids are under assault.

“We are like the frog in the slowly boiling pot of water. We have to take action.”

First-time Pride attendee Phoebe Hosley, 15, said: “With everything going on in politics and the country, I felt like it was important to be here to support my community.

“I’m scared what Trump will do to LGBT people,” the teenager added.

“We are fighting this ridiculous administration, and they will not break our spirit, activism and pride,” said Dykes on Bikes member Kary McElroy, 49.

“I’m embarrassed to be an American, but it’s wonderful to be a San Franciscan and a Californian,” she added.

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