Thousands Filled the Streets of São Paulo on Sunday to Celebrate Pride

For the last few years, Pride has been a somewhat subdued, often virtual affair in Brazil and countries around the world due to COVID-19 restrictions, but on Sunday, June 19, thousands showed up to celebrate the occasion and affirm their support for LGBTQ+ rights at São Paulo’s 26th Gay Pride Parade.

The march, which stretched for more than a mile, was called Vote With Pride, which was all too apropos given that Brazil has an election coming up in October, in which left-leaning former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, will be up against far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro. Organizer Claudia Garcia said of the event: “After two years without in-person editions, it is an immense pleasure to return to the streets and reinforce to the public its responsibility to support representatives who are committed to a more just and egalitarian Brazil.”

See photos of the joyous, riotously colorful event below.