Pride is a day when we let people be exactly who they are, and love them for it. I want her to see that even if you don’t have a personal stake in an issue, it’s important to be an ally, to show up and show your support.
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I take her because I want to show her that the world is full of all kinds of different people, including many who don’t look or act or live the way we do, and there’s room for all of us.
I’m not gay, so I’m sure some people wonder why I take my kid to Pride. There’s even specific programming for families, including age-appropriate content provided by local groups such as the Attic Youth Center.
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No pay-only parties it’s free and open to the public, with fewer branding opportunities for companies, who seemed to dominate the 2019 festivities. It’s the 50th anniversary of Philly Pride, a new organization is in charge, and the entire day has been reinvented. Last year’s celebration was canceled after the former organizing group dissolved following criticism of its treatment of Black, brown, and trans members of its own community. More specifically, a celebration of each individual life - a chance for all of us to tell each other: “I see you and celebrate you, just as you are.” At its best, it’s beautiful.īut Philly Pride hasn’t always had an inclusive ethos. » READ MORE: Newly reimagined PHL Pride March and Festival commemorates 50 years of Philadelphia PrideĪt their core, Pride events are a celebration of life. It was a great party.īut to me, Pride is much more than a party. But what she noticed was the music, the smiling, the dancing, and the celebration. Yes, there were people with barely any clothing on, and some adult props she had never seen before. To this day, she still talks about “the rainbow parade.” She had never heard the Rihanna song “We Found Love” that seemed to throb from every other float as it passed by, and it remains one of her favorites three years later. My daughter jumped up and down as if she were at a One Direction show, hooting and hollering with the people around us as each group glided past in the parade.
She got free necklaces, T-shirts, and treats from marchers, who tossed them into the crowd. Everyone around her was smiling, dancing, cheering, and wearing brightly colored clothes. The timing of the parade was ideal for someone who goes to bed at 7:30 - it kicked off around 11 a.m., and wrapped midafternoon. I don’t remember a single cloud, bug, or hint of humidity. The weather was perfect - one of the very few “just right” days we get in Philly all year. But her favorite LGBTQ event, by far, was the last Philly Pride parade, in June 2019, when she was 5. During the pandemic, one of my 8-year-old’s biggest disappointments was missing the Philly Pride parade two years in a row.īefore COVID-19, I took her to all-ages performances by Martha Graham Cracker, and the Drag Diva Brunch in Fishtown.