Going to the Chapel of Love
Sunday was the 2008 San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration & Parade. Upon arriving downtown before the festivities started, The Boy and I decided that this must be the biggest party that San Francisco has ever had.
The air was ebullient, full of excitement. Rainbows and feathers were in abundance. The crowd was truly a melting pot of every age, sex, race and religion, and everyone seemed to share a common spirit of goodwill.
What struck me most of all is how happy such an immense crowd of people could be.
Since the California Supreme Court recently struck down a ban on same-sex marriages, the crowd and parade had couples announcing their newly minted marriages. Many couples I saw proudly proclaimed their engagements of 15, 20+ years, having waited so long for the day that they could legally be married. I did get misty-eyed a few times seeing the joy on people's faces as they proudly walked past me, legally married or soon to be.
It's unclear whether this ban will survive past the elections in November, but for the people I saw today, so happy in a way that many others of us take for granted, I hope we continue to live and let live.
See the rest of my pics here.
Going to the chapel and we're gonna to get married. Going to the chapel and we're gonna to get married. Gee, I really love you and we're gonna to get married. Going to the chapel of love.
.
Spring is here, the sky is blue. Whoa! the birds all sing as if they knew. Today's the day, we'll say, "I do" and we'll never be lonely anymore.
16 comments:
that balloon photo is stunning! great day for all, don't you think?
Positively beautiful! Great pictures too! :)
Hi karey,
It was a great day. It was such a unique feeling to be in amongst hundreds of thousands of people who all were so upbeat and positive.
Hi christina,
Seeing people come together with a lot of love and acceptance...that was the most beautiful part of all. But the colors were lots of fun, too!
;-)
thanks for spreading the love joy!
Of course! It would have been fun to have you and the Peachette with us...maybe next time. And we can dress her up in rainbow feathers.
;-)
Love is in the air
Everywhere I look around
Love is in the air
Every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes
[ALL TOGETHER NOW:]
(Chorus)
Love is in the air
Love is in the air
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Johanna! That's the PERFECT song!
Thank you! I wish you had been here, too. We could have worn boas together.
xoxo
And TIARAS, TB. Boas without them is just so gauche....
Oh yes, tiaras. That goes without saying.
(You won't be surprised to know that many people were wearing them there.)
To be expected TB :-)
I think I would have shed a tear too...Truly moving!
and yes...it's about time!
gorgeous photos. you perfectly capture the beauty and love that must have filled the air. when i lived in the bay the pride parade (tied with halloween in the the castro) was my most favorite public celebration.
to have been present during such an auspicious time for such an historical decision is something never to forget. and thanks to your lovely photos i almost feel as if i too was there.
Hi my castle in spain,
Then you were with us in spirit! It was very touching, and I hope more people see this as a good thing to celebrate.
Hi Ms. Octavine,
I hope I have brought back some fond memories for you. I am sad to tell you that Halloween was "cancelled" last year in the Castro, and I do not know if that will continue to be the case.
But the Castro is a part of town I really like to be in, celebration or not.
The year was 1969. The place was San Francisco. Proudly sporting black armbands, my two best friends and I were marching in the Moratorium to end the Viet Nam War. When the parade turned towards Geary from Masonic, I saw a tiny parade, a half block long, coming up Pine Street towards us. The small group of about twenty very colorfully dressed homos (as we called them then) was carrying one lone banner with some proclamations using the word "gay". When they folded in alongside us, I asked them about their banner. They said that they are marching to end the war but they were also marching for equal rights for homosexuals everywhere. It was the first time I ever saw the word "gay" used in this context. It's hard to believe that it took forty-two more years before the community could celebrate the right to marry the one they love. Any way you slice it, though, we can say "You've come a long way, Baby!"
Wonderful photos of a fabulous day! So good to have some good news for a change. xoxox
Hi dutchbaby,
That is such an awesome story. Thank you for bringing such great continuity to a wonderful event.
Hi paris parfait,
I agree, it is very nice to focus on something colorful and happy!
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