Christopher Street Parade

Last week was pretty much Pride Week around the world, so this past Saturday I partied it up at the Christopher Street Parade in Berlin. It's the name of the gay pride parade, which is held in memory of the first big uprising of homosexuals and other minorites against police assaults that took place on NYC's Christopher Street in the Village on June 27, 1969. The so-called Stonewall Riots took place in the bar Stonewall Inn.

Ok, onto the fun...! It felt like a mini-LoveParade that goes through the center of the city, complete with floats blasting musics and people dancing on and around them. I got the odd kiss/hug/butt-smack from gay men. Maybe because I looked like I was gay? Or maybe I was just gay in the merry sense? Or maybe I'm just cute. Or maybe it was just the general non-inhibition-hamboring ambience of the day. The little gay person in me was very happy, cheering and bopping alongside parading dragqueens, exhibitionists, S&M lovers, butch lesbians, goths, and the like. It reminded me of the Village Halloween Parade in NYC (and of course the Pride Parade there as well.)







Ok, a float with an advertisement for the US military shop at the gay parade? Isn't that ironic (doncha think?)


S/he should have been at the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island!


And the award for best costume goes to...!


Only in Germany: a DJ booth in a mini-tank.


A Björk impersonation?


His shorts were painted on. It was only paint. He just happened to swing his hand perfectly in time when I took this picture!




The face masks always kind of freak me out.


A (biologically natural) woman.


Pretty witty. (This was the day before Spain vs Germany final.)




These boots are(n't) made for walking... and that's just what I'll do...


"Cool, my teacher is gay."


Tootsie, is that you?!




The Mobile Anti-Hate Ambulance.


Now that's on par with Vegas dancers!





Deutsche Bahn (Germany's answer to Amtrak) had a float as well.


Tolerance is a big thing in Germany and is promoted by big companies/corporations as well, such as Deutsche Bahn (one of the companies where I teach English) "Hass du etwas dagegen?" means "Do you have(hate) something against it?" The "hass" is a play on words, since it means "hate" whereas the proper word/verb that should have been there is "hast" which means "have." But you get the message.


Coolest/weirdest looking tractor-trailer. Ever. It almost looked fake!


But it was real!