Nate Menifield and Ben Potvin were in the heart of Saturday’s Pride parade in Portland with the Maine Gay Men’s Chorus when their 3-year-old needed a snack. They were marching down Congress Street and digging an applesauce pouch out of Ava’s backpack.
The moment made them laugh — and remember the Pride celebrations past when they were dreaming about this future.
“How are we celebrating?” Menifield said. “Just existing and being the family that we always envisioned that we would be when we got together.”
Thousands turned out for the annual Pride event in Maine’s largest city. The day bore the signatures of years past with rainbow flags, drag performances, colorful tutus, bubbles and Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” on the speakers. But many people also carried signs that they might have also held at widespread protests against the Trump administration one week prior. They bore messages such as “No Kings, Yaaasss Queens!” and “Crush ICE” and “Trans Youth Are The Future” and “Save HIV Funding.”
Maya Peterson, 20, danced down the sidewalk alongside the parade and waved her Pride flag to the music.
“Pride has always been a protest,” Peterson said. “Even though this is so joyful, so peaceful and so happy, this is, in fact, a protest. We are doing what is most important in this time. Over the top, we have happiness, we have joy. Everyone can feel that. It’s in the air.”
Holly Macrae dressed for the occasion as the Statue of Liberty. She painted her face in blue, pink and white stripes to recognize the transgender flag. She and Annella Linton rode a red scooter in a group of motorcycles at the front of the parade.
“I love turning out for Pride because I’m so grateful for the people who came before us and fought the fight for us and made it a little easier for us to make our way in life,” Linton said.
“It does feel more like an act of resistance,” Macrae said. “Whereas in other, more supportive presidencies like Obama, it was more of a celebration. Of course, there were still things to move forward, with trans rights especially.”
Tabitha Blanchard, Imani Myers and Olivia Mills found respite in the shade under a sweeping tree near the main stage.
“There’s a little bit more oomph this year,” Blanchard, 21, said. “I know that the current administration is against us. However, it has added an extra fire in our guts to remind everyone what we’re all about, who we are and what we stand for.”
People came from across the state to feel a sense of community.
Beckett Freed-Barlow and Dylan Owens waited in Deering Oaks park to watch a close friend perform a drag show. The couple drove to Portland from Gardiner. They made a weekend out of the celebrations, staying with friends and catching up with people who they sometimes only see once a year.
“It makes a big difference living further norther and coming down here,” Owens said.
Liv Ring and Jordynn Bruni of Portland sat on the sidewalk to watch the parade, leaning on each other under the hot sun. Later in the weekend, they planned to throw a potluck with friends to celebrate Pride.
“Given the political climate, Pride feels extra special,” Ring, 28, said. “It feels like safety in numbers. Going through our day-to-day life, you can feel small as a queer person, and seeing such a massive turnout of other queer people and allies as well makes me feel a lot safer and less alone.”
“In our daily lives, we don’t see each other all that much,” Bruni, 31, added. “During Pride, it’s a great big reminder that we’re here. We’re all out here.”
Derek Sawyer came to Pride from Limington for the first time on Saturday with his girlfriend Breanna Taylor. Taylor wore rainbow butterflies in her hair, and Sawyer had pinned a couple in his beard. A passerby asked for a selfie: “Best beard at Pride!”
“I’m just here to support,” Sawyer, 33, said. “I think everybody should be able to live their life the way they choose. This is a show of force.”
“I want to be around my people who understand the struggle of being different,” Taylor, 26, said. “And all the colors.
The Metz family traveled from Exeter, N.H., for the second year in a row because they liked seeing the large turnout here. They were decked out in rainbow gear, and Nicholas Metz had a dozen Pride flags sticking out of his backpack from years past. This year did feel different — they packed a medical kit, just in case — but they never questioned whether their family would attend.
“It means we’re standing up for what’s right even though the world is burning,” Eva Metz, 13, said.
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