Today was the first Pride parade in my city since the pandemic. Being fully vaccinated, I thought about joining but the group I had planned to go with were not present this year so I decided to watch from the sidewalk instead.
It was a shorter parade compared to most other years. A lot of people are still social isolating and the rainy weather probably didn’t help either. Pride Week here usually happens in late May – early June but this one had to be postponed to October; again because of the pandemic.
Still, many people showed up and it was really heartwarming to see. The joy and the spirit of celebration was palpable despite the gray weather and the rain.
After the parade was over, I walked up the main avenue to the city library to borrow a computer. Outside the building someone had left flowers and a flag on the statue of one of our city’s most beloved writers.
Karin Boye was a lesbian and had relationships with women during a time when this was still illegal in most of Europe, including Sweden. I wonder what she would have thought of the parade and how far we’ve come – and how far we still have to go.
Son Of Freya 