San Francisco’s Pride parade was as much a protest as a celebration on Sunday as massive crowds spilled out from underground trains to Market Street, where beads, leather, rainbows and glitter sparkled in the sunshine.
Since the Trump administration took office in January, many of the gains made by the LGBT community over the past few years, from transgender rights to DEI programs in government, have been in jeopardy.
And in San Francisco, where that community is more concentrated than perhaps any other city in the country, locals were ready to gather in solidarity.
Children and dogs were invited to watch as people from all manner of political groups, publicly traded companies, firefighters, and DJs paraded past Market and Fourth streets.
Many parade-goers held political signs saying “Fuck Trump” and “Fuck ICE.”
“Woos” were followed by silence before the next faction of the parade came into view. Most everyone was happy to see each other — that is, except west-siders upon the site of Joel Engardio’s rainbow-waving staff.
On the periphery of the parade, many merchants set up shop. Some sold vodka lemonades while others sold eclectic hats. The most popular shop, though, was The Roving Anti-Trump Save Democracy Bandwagon, which sold a number of vibrant pins.
![People on a colorful parade float are cheerfully waving pride flags, with "Proud Jewish" shirts and a sign saying "Nobody knows I'm a [Hebrew word]."](https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/photo-pride-parade_051.jpg?w=3840&q=75)
When asked why there was such a market for political messaging at Pride this year, the merchant pointed out the fact that a fair number of the paraders came equipped with their own political signs. He was not the only one.
“It’s a political time,” said the merchant before he was bombarded by people asking to look and purchase the pins. It became clear it would be a while until the merchant would have the time or space to answer any other questions, and The Standard never got his name.
Since the Pride Parade was established in 1970, San Francisco has always been “one of the greatest cities in the world to be gay in,” said Matt Mayo, a 35-year-old Bay Area lifer who’s been coming to the parade going on 15 years.
Mayo stood alone, watching the parade shirtless as cigarette smoke clouded in front of his polarized sunglasses.
He said it is the sheer number of gays in San Francisco and the city’s liberal government that make “all of this possible.” Even though he lives in Walnut Creek now, he’s been staying in the city since Friday, attending various parties and events.
“[The parade] hasn’t changed,” he said, “but it has grown.”
