SF Pride

I was marching-standing with the contingent from California College of the Arts (CCA), where Laura works. The parade is a gargantuan thing and moves slowly... agonizingly slowly. Still, needless to say, it was a festive day. Our group was just ahead of the small but enthusiastic contingent from SWANABAQ (Southwest Asian and North African Bay Area Queers). They were carrying a fantastic rainbow quilt of flags from their home countries.

Despite the revealing leather chaps, leashes and tethers, and nipple rings, the overall atmosphere is inclusive and mainstream— at least, mainstream by San Francisco standards. The rainbow dress-up and rave aspects seem to appeal to teenage girls, who were out in numbers, as were the corporate-sponsored floats. The large Yahoo! group was just ahead of a consortium of leather bondage organizations, in their Sunday best. The A-Sexuals were marching just behind the City of Fremont employees. The humanists were appropriately squeezed between the atheists and the Buddhists. The older couples lining the parade route could not have looked happier. This was their day.

[Update 6/29/2015: Photo of our group added... can you identify the blogger?]