All week long, the meteorologists in Washington, D.C.—in open defiance of Barbra Streisand—predicted it would rain on our parade.
But my friend Todd put things in perspective. Early Saturday morning, he texted:
A gray day can use a lot of 🌈
I read that not just as a comment on the gloomy forecast, but also as a rallying cry for these gloomy times.
When we can’t see rainbows in the sky or on the horizon, the ones we create and carry take on even more significance as symbols of hope and resistance. They’re a promise to ourselves and a message to our enemies: We’ll make it through the storm and come out stronger.
WorldPride was a bit of a letdown—I’ll explain why in a future post—but, for now, let’s ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive and check out Saturday’s parade and festival
I Love a Parade
Talk about good timing! Todd, his wife Erika, the Complimentary Spouse, and I arrived at the corner of 14th and G streets—around the middle of the parade route—at the moment the first float rolled past.
Two things stood out:
- The meteorologists were all wrong! We had blue skies and great weather all afternoon and evening.
- The crowds were thinner than I had expected, but that meant better viewing.
We Are the World
It’s called WorldPride for a reason—we had floats and marchers from all over the globe.
- Amsterdam, host of next year’s WorldPride, had a large float up front.
- The European Union‘s group waved flags of member countries and held up signs saying “EU for Human Rights.”
- The group representing Switzerland wore T-shirts that said “Love is Neutral.” C’mon, Switzerland, take a stand on something!
I started to sing “God Save the Queen” when the group from the British Embassy approached, but then I remembered we now have a king.1 The anthem doesn’t make as much sense now at a Pride parade.
And, hey, is that an Iranian float? Yes, it is—sponsored by Raha International, a group for LGBQT Iranians.2
“You’d never see that in Tehran,” I said to no one in particular, not really sure if I was making light of a deadly serious situation. The people on the float were some of the most joyous participants in the entire parade. I think they got Todd’s text—you need to wave the rainbow flags proudly even when conditions are tough.
Can You Have a Pride Parade Without Drag Queens? (Answer: No.)
Now, to the Street Festival!
After about two hours, Todd, Erika, Britt, and I headed over to the street festival on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The planners were clearly expecting more people, as the security area was designed for long lines. We got inside quickly. It was like a theme park ride at the end of the day: There’s no wait, but you still have to journey through the whole queueing area.
A Programming Note
Coming soon in The Daily Dave: Some photos and my thoughts on the WorldPride rally and march, which left me disappointed and disillusioned—but more determined than ever to keep flying the rainbow flag on gray days.