First impressions of the parade

I have been to a lot of Pride parades—mostly all over New York State including small towns for the last 10 years and New York City’s Pride events for the last 6 or so years.

In comparison to New York City, the Auckland Pride parade was like visiting a small-town Pride event or going back in time to NYC’s parade origins.

I eventually stopped attending NYC’s main Pride Parade opting instead for the smaller borough events or the annual Dyke march. Why? The Parade had gotten too commercialized and corporatized for me.

Today, the parade is a joke considering it started as a protest spurring from the Stonewall Riots of 1969—when mostly transgender women fought back against police who kept raiding village bars and clubs. The NYC Pride Parade used to have so much more angst behind its message and charm behind its cardboard painted signage. But not anymore.

On the other hand, Auckland’s Pride Parade was a truly feisty, charming cultural event.

At times, I felt like I was back in small town America where that grassroots community aura can still be felt at local Pride events each June.

Signage was quite literally hand-crafted by many of the participating groups.