It has been a while since I went to a pride festival. I was a dedicated supporter in Saskatoon, and have sampled pride events in a few other cities, but there had been a bit of a gap after the pandemic. After the attacks at Berlin pride a few weeks before, it seemed more important to go. SK-Joe had a T-shirt he wore to pride that said ‘This used to be a riot’, and it is always a good reminder. I like seeing HSBC and IBM floats, not because I love commericalism or capitalism at pride, but because it shows how mainstream Queer acceptance became… and yet, one can never fully release vigilance that backsliding could be around the corner.
Stockholm pride this year had a mix of serious and party, and reminded me of Dan Savage’s comments about balancing the work of activism with joy of embracing identity – its worth a read. We started out the day with the only open service at Johanna’s trädgård café – certainly fortifying for the day ahead!
I brought my little RFSL rainbow flag from the parade home with me, and then brought it to work. I had one in SK, but have not since being at KTH and I thought it would be a good signal to students that come to visit the office. Within a couple weeks I got some feedback that it had made folks feel more welcome and comfortable, and wish I had put one up sooner.
