By Neela Banerjee
Breaking all previous records, the 31st annual San Francisco Pride Parade and celebration brought out some 1 million rainbow-color decorated revelers on Sunday, June 24.
Even though the official theme was “Queerific,” Pride President Cecilia Chung said that the most exciting aspect of this year’s event was the increased diversity. Chung is the first Asian American and transgender president to run the show, which is the largest outdoor event in California.
“It came with a lot of responsibility, but my being the president has increased the visibility of the APA and the transgender community,” Chung said.
Chung has been a member of the Pride board since 1998, the same year in which she had her sex change operation.
“I achieved a life-long dream and wanted to get involved because it was one way of giving back to the community,” Chung said.
This was the second year that the celebration had Asian and Pacific Islander Pride stage, which featured over 20 performers ranging from women-centered dance troupe The Purple Moon Dance Project to Filipina crossover diva Jocelyn Enriquez. Organized by Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, the stage and A&PI Wellness Center’s parade float — which featured a giant megaphone with dozens of cheerleaders chanting slogans that promoted safer sex — worked to make education an integral part of the entertainment.
“We were able to broadcast important HIV prevention messages in various languages throughout the performances,” A&PI Wellness Center Executive Director John Manzon-Santos said.
More than 50 people stopped by the organization’s HIV testing booths, where they received pre-test counseling in six different languages. Many of these people had never been tested before.
“We were really pleased to see so many people taking the time in the midst of enjoying so much, to focus on their health,” Lance Toma, A&PI Wellness Center’s director of programs said.
By late afternoon, a mostly Asian American crowd decked out in everything from full drag to absolutely nothing but strategically-placed pink triangle stickers, danced vigorously as Enriquez performed her smash hit A Little Bit of Ecstasy. Enriquez stopped for a moment and shushed the crowd.
“I have one thing to say,” Enriquez said. “Happy Asian Pride!”
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A big “thank you” to Kieran Ridge, Hiromi Oda and A&PI Wellness Center for the photographs of Pride 2001. |
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