I just got home from San Fransisco Pride and it was really really intense. A lot was going on but the queers really turned out and turned up. This year – to really demonstrate the raw gravity of the wildness – I decided to shoot it entirely on disposable cameras. Enjoy this essay of mostly images because I think they really supply the vibe.
Friday
We started off with a mellow trip to Point Reyes because why not go have a nice drive before the clubs.
This is Hanna she was my +1 all weekend because my girlfriend has a job or whatever so there are a lot of photos of her enjoy
We eased into the raging with a potluck of queers.
Then to chill party #1 – UHAUL’s Homie Hangout Pride Kickoff
And to wild party #2 (ROBOTICA by She Said…)
Also there are a lot of photos of me looking thrilled to be at the clubs.
Saturgay
THIS DAY WAS REALLY INTENSE you’ll see why.
First I went to Dolores Park to chill at the pre-dyke march queer take-over
My time here was cut short because I had to quickly drive two hours to an unrelated wedding in Monterey – here’s a cute pic of the newlyweds also a pic where my eyes look weird but it’s disposable so w/e
Then I got to drive two hours back to RAGE (read almost take a nap at the club) at UHAUL’s WILD Dyke March After Party
Then I actually got 8 hours of sleep and it was incredible.
Sunday
Headed to the city
And the guy at the tollbooth asked me if I was hungry and I said yes so he gave me these crackers which was very nice also a good omen.
Kicked it off at Queerly Beloved (a party by Courtney Trouble and Jenna Riot) which was queerly BEAUTIFUL
Found some A-Campers…
DUBAIS
Hanna and I wide awake
Then to party with UHAUL (again) because there were pandas (honestly I didn’t know there would be pandas but let’s say I did)
Madison Paige
Skylar Love
At this point I tried to order Dominos because I was really hungry and also the club was too wild for me but it was a two hour wait so we went back to Oakland and ate some pizza and it was amazing.
And back on the road LA bound (after sleeping a little). See you next year.
I couldn’t even focus on this article because of that adorable person wearing that AMAZING short-sleeved crane shirt. WHERE DID THEY GET IT I NEED ONE RIGHT NOW.
Love the photos!
I was driving back from camp on Saturday, so I wasn’t able to go to the queer take-over in Dolores or to Dyke March. I’m really upset by that, more than usual, I think, because after Orlando I needed to be in a space that was just outright queer-centric. I marched in Pride on Sunday, but it didn’t really feel queer in the same way that I think Saturday would have? I’m 99% sure more than half the people I was marching with were straight, and I was just struck by the number of corporations that slapped rainbows onto their logos and marched despite not doing anything particularly noteworthy for the queer community on any other day of the year (no donations to LGBT affinity or advocacy groups, for example). Just felt very weird and isolating.
Luckily I was marching with three friends, two of whom are queer, so I had that small community. But overall I was looking for solidarity that I never felt. Really wish I could have made Saturday.
(On another note, Pride as a whole is difficult because I don’t drink, have anxiety, and am generally uncomfortable in intense party scenes. Most of Pride seems to be either intensely alcohol-centric, or just not very queer. But I also have had difficulty getting information on events, so it’s possible I’ve just been missing the queer, non-alcohol-centric stuff.)
hi yes official pride sunday is very sponsored / reminiscent of a commercial break on national television – Saturday is much better.
In general though for all pride events I try to stay away from the official stuff because of the reasons you mentioned (that’s not to say that as a community we shouldn’t try to take back pride because we should). There’s a lot more inclusive events happening around town.
Also I also don’t drink, have anxiety, and have a really hard time at the clubs but I try to go early, have some friends to dance with, and find corners. This is also why I take photos because it gives me an activity.
Photos have always been one of my escapes, too. :) I’m glad to hear there are events happening that I can find next year!
Yeah, the Pride parade in SF has always been a bit too much of things I’m not into: corporate floats, hetero gawking tourists, full frontal male nudity, etc.
SF Dyke March has always been a perfect foil to all that for me: hella queer, free, and feels like family even though it’s crowded and huge. But even that is changing SO much now that the Mission is crawling with entitled cis white techbros who just join the March because hey, why not uncritically occupy every possible space? Sigh.
Yes! Also the nudity! Plus the BDSM happening in public – I’m all for BDSM and do it myself, but dear god, don’t do it in front of people who haven’t consented to witnessing a scene like that! It’s triggering for some people, it’s rude, and it violates a core tenet of BDSM itself (consent)! I just… That was jarring. Lord.
I’m definitely going to make Dyke March a priority next year.
these are perfect. i love pride!
My wife and I were in SF for a friend’s wedding this weekend and we were able to make it to the dyke March/festival Saturday and it was amazing! I saw more queer women on Saturday than I have seen in my previous 30 years on this planet. It was so reaffirming. I get why people move to queer cities now, there is such a feeling of community.
I can’t get over how BEAUTIFUL everyone is! Every single person in these pictures looks just so good! I am deeply moved.
Super envious and great photos. I’m curious to what clubs you went to. All the clubs I ended up going to were on Castro that were mainly White Gay men. My friends and I were looking for QTWOC.
Queerly Beloved was at El Rio from what I remember seeing on Courtney’s tumblr and I’m sure there were many trans people and twoc there.
YES AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL I TOOK MORE PHOTOS except not everyone looks good because they were dancing intensely so I opted to not post embarrassing photos of people but yes
as a general rule I go by who’s throwing the party as opposed to the venue – most of the things I went to were pop up parties at random clubs that created a queer space for pride. The Castro (like West Hollywood in LA) becomes a complete mess of largely white gay men and really really drunk people whereas parties off the beaten path tend to be more inclusive / less insane.
for my first pride in a new city I usually just Facebook stalk cool queer people to find out what events they are going to tbh
I’ve been doing the same. In LA it’s easy to find a more inclusive queer party(though still a bit white), but I was in SD over the weekend and either the community is smaller or they are less active on FB.
i am so glad you have gone to all of these parties so we did not have to
it was a lot.
My girlfriend got us a trip to SF Pride as a present for graduating with my Master’s. I went to Dolores Park, and was hoping to spot some AS folk, but no dice. It was crazy bright out so we went to post up to watch instead of walk in the Dyke March. Hit up Robotica on Friday and Furiosa on Saturday. Pride on Sunday was kind of a whirlwind, but Peaches was rad. I didn’t want to leave and come home to Austin!
I wish I had an imgur so I could post some pics, haha
awww, tollbooth crackers!!
thank you so much for the gorgeous photos form queerly beloved!!!!! xoxoxo courtney trouble (i’m a spoiled brat, are there more?? *panting*)
Best toll booth story ever
All of the photos are so beautiful!!! Just what I needed to vicariously do pride because I wasn’t able to make it to NYC.
holy BABES *heart eye emoji*
Am I the only non-coast dweller who always feels like they’re peeking into a whole other world with some of the coastal, esp California related, photo essays? @.@
So wait, you went to SF pride and didn’t go to the Dyke March? #queerfail
This representation of Pride is clearly sponsored by the U Haul promoters and doesn’t event give honorable mention to the Trans March and the Dyke March which are the heart of Pride for local queers and carry so much weight as far as visibility and taking back the streets. This is a classically LA take on Pride and very disappointing from Autostraddle.