Pride march joyful event

AUCKLAND: At least a thousand people walked and cheered their way up Auckland’s main street on Saturday’s Pride march.

The colourful and cheerful group marched from Albert Park to Myers Park, via the city centre along Queen St.

Organisers had expected between 1000 and 2000 people, and more than 30 organisations to be involved.

One attendee, Ellen Sorkin, said it was a joyful celebration.

‘‘The sun is shining, the sparkles are out, the glitter is on, the flags are out. It’s fantastic.’’

She said she was ‘‘ecstatic’’ with how it had turned out.

‘‘It’s very special. This is about us collectively standing together. This is what solidarity looks like.’’

She said it would always be a political event, and would not shy away from that.

‘‘I’m proud that our community wants to stand up for the issues that are impacting on all New Zealanders, actually,’’ she said.

‘‘We’re saying that racism, misogyny, transphobia and class privilege — all these things matter to us.’’

The march went ahead after a community fundraising effort raised tens of thousands of dollars.

Some corporate sponsors had pulled out following the decision to bar the police from marching in uniform. — RNZ