Thousands of spectators, members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies packed the streets of downtown to celebrate the Portland Pride Parade on Sunday — and take a visible stand against bigotry and threats to the safety and wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ population in Oregon and beyond.
Throngs of marchers, dancers and revelers clad in rainbow tutus, mesh crop tops and myriad colors of body glitter sashayed through a half-mile route — some in perilously high heels.
The parade, with over 150 contingents, began at the North Park Blocks near Northwest Eighth Avenue at 11 a.m. and continued down Northwest Davis Street to the Portland Pride Waterfront Festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which hosted music and activities, food and family areas, and a lot of partying. Nonstop music blared from speakers and from various instruments in the streets as members of community organizations walked and activist groups chanted messages about anti-discrimination and civil rights.
They marched against a backdrop of uncertainty as reports of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people have increased in Oregon, some Republican politicians in the state this year tried to block policies such as gender-affirming care and organizers of a recent drag storytelling event in Tigard and a Portland elementary school Pride festival had to cancel due to threats of violence.
Nationally, too, the landscape continues to erode. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a Christian graphic designer who declined to make wedding websites for same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs. The court ruled 6-3 that free speech rights protected the designer.
Fifty-year-old Kelly Murrin of Portland said she’s been going to the parade every year since she moved to the city 25 years ago.
“To come out here where there’s tens of thousands of gay people feels really empowering,” Murrin said. “It feels really safe.”
For many attending the parade and waterfront festival this weekend, that sense of solidarity was more evident than in years past.
Malcolm Stuart, 17, of Oregon City said this year was their first Pride parade and they attended to support friends and allies, but also to make a statement. “It’s such a big thing,” they said.
“People who are against pride typically blame people who are in support of it for making a big deal out of it,” Stuart said. “But the reason why we make it a big deal is because it’s a statement that we’re not going to be silenced. There’s no reason why people have to hide who they are to celebrate pride with people they know.”
Organizers moved the parade from June to July this year to avoid conflicts with other big events.
Jason LaRock of Albany said this year’s Portland Pride Parade was his second, but he’s gone to other similar events. He said he was blown away by the number of people who participated.
“Coming out here was a much-needed breath of fresh air and a reminder that I’m not alone,” LaRock said. “Because when you’re scrolling through the internet at home, reading about all of the horrible news and seeing all the anti-LGBTQ bills that are passing, it kind of just feels like, I’m alone. But then when I came here and looked at all of these people, I see that we are all safe and there’s community.”
— Kristine de Leon; kdeleon@oregonian.com
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