Pride march ‘by us, for us’

THERE were no corporate floats at the Auckland Pride march – but there were enough people to fill Queen St, and then some.

About 1000 people – wearing colourful costumes and carrying glittery signs and rainbow flags – walked from Albert Park to Myers Park in a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.

‘‘This is what Pride looks like,’’ organiser Cissy Rock told the crowd at the end of yesterday’s march.

Another speaker said the event was ‘‘by us, for us’’, rather than a bank ‘‘trying to get more customers’’.

The march replaced Auckland’s annual Pride Parade, which came under intense scrutiny last year after the Pride board banned police from marching in uniform.

Supporters of the uniform ban raised concerns over police treatment of transgender people and queer people of colour, while opponents said it ran counter to the Pride ethos of inclusion.

Sponsors pulled funding over the ban, corporates said they would no longer participate and there were rumours the event would be cancelled.

However, organisers instead said it would be an event by and for the rainbow community.

Yesterday, transgender people carried placards that said ‘‘My gender is not a disorder’’, while Amnesty International staffers’ signs said ‘‘Love is a human right’’. A lone protester yelling homophobic abuse on Queen St was quickly drowned out by a chant: ‘‘One love for all, freedom for the lesbians’’.

Participants said they had a range of reasons for taking part in the event.

One man said he was there to celebrate ‘‘everything that Pride is, and stand against everything Pride isn’t’’.

A woman, who gave her name only as Joy, said she wanted to show up to prove there was unity in the rainbow community, despite the controversy of the past year.

At Myers Park, a DJ started a set while drag queens and stilt walkers posed for photos.

One participant, who had been attending the Pride Parade since its inception in 2013, said it was the best event she had ever been to.

‘‘It looks like you don’t need police or big businesses to have a good time.’’

‘This is what Pride looks like.’ CISSY ROCK, ORGANISER