Today is National Coming Out Day. Last month, Oakland celebrated Oakland Pride with a parade and festival.
I photographed the Oakland Pride parade again and posted photo gallery on my website. There were many other photos that I did not include in the final gallery that I liked.
I prefer going to parades early, if I go at all.
When I arrive early, I am able to watch the participants anxiously prepare.
I can see the start of the parade... for many different groups.
And I can see people relax before they parade in front of the public. Some people are going to perform, while others perform their public duty.
There is something fundamentally different about a pride parade than say a 4th of July parade. While not everyone who walks during a pride parade is LGBTQ, everyone at least supports the community. In some places, it's a risk to walk in a pride parade. It's also important to make it easier for others to come out today.
