Pride 2023: People flock to San Francisco for celebrations
SAN FRANCISCO - Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in San Francisco on Sunday to celebrate Pride.
Market Street was shut down from the Embarcadero to City Hall for the annual Pride Parade.
Everyone from marchers wearing stilts to dancers, DJs, community organizers, and politicians came together to show their support for the LGBTQ community.
According to the SF Pride website, over 200 groups participated in the parade.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins walked in the parade and told KTVU the energy along the parade route was "electric as always."
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"We have to make sure that everybody knows that we protect all communities in San Francisco my office has the job to keep the LGBTQ community safe."
Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor London Breed were also part of the parade.
You would be hard-pressed to find a person along the parade route who wasn't all smiles, though multiple attendees told KTVU the parade had a deeper meaning this year. This year, over 400 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
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"Open your eyes read any piece of news that comes out, it's scary. But with fear and anguish comes resilience, and this is one of the most resilient communities," said Carina Pope, a parade attendee. "Everyone I love is in this community, and if you're not showing up for the people you love, who are you showing up for?"