Happy Pride

We went to see the local Pride Parade yesterday, as it passed right by our house. I haven't seen one before, but this was excellent fun and totally took my mind off the bad news. The gay community in Vancouver - and especially West End - is quite happy and visible, and Pride is a total field day for them.

What I love most though is how all the local businesses take to it too. There isn't a shop on Denman that wouldn't have rainbow colours on the window, but in addition to that big businesses like big breweries (Labatt, Molson), banks, airlines (Air Canada) and coffee shop chains (Starbucks) are sponsoring the whole event. I mean, could you imagine that in Finland Koff, Finnair and Osuuspankki would proudly support the gay community? I didn't think so either.

Anyway, the parade. We got there just before the real parade started and were entertained by "dykes with bikes", a group of lesbians on motorbikes who were driving up and down the Beach Avenue to the crowd's great amusement (ok, it might not sound like much but it was fun). We got front row seats where we spent the next two and a half hours cheering for the amazingly varied and extremely entertaining entrants for the parade. Everyone and their dog (literally) was there from gay restaurants to soccer teams, synagogues to AIDS victim support groups and veterans' organisations to choirs. Gays and lesbians alike, all races (Queer Bollywood - gotta love it), all ages.

The thing that I remember topmost in my mind is the atmosphere - everyone was so happy, dancing and singing and cheering, smiling and laughing. People were there to have fun, to see and support their friends and relatives and... no matter how corny it sounds, love was all around.

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