The 22nd Annual Pride Celebration in São Paulo May Have Just Been the World’s Largest
Neither the truckers strike nor the rain nor the cold could keep people away from São Paulo Pride 2018. In fact, it was the annual event’s largest crowd yet. This Sunday saw people of all ages, faiths and orientations fill Avenida Paulista in Downtown São Paulo for the city’s 22nd annual LGBT Pride Parade.
This year’s theme centered around the upcoming elections, and you could see signs reading “Fora Temer” (to the current president) and “Viva Marielle,” referring to Marielle Franco, the black lesbian councilwoman murdered in Rio de Janeiro this March. Franco’s widow Mônica Benício was there at the opening of São Paulo Pride 2018.
Actress Fernanda Lima was also on hand at the festival opening. Clad in pink and light blue, the colors of the trans flag, she said, “We cannot let queerphobia continue to kill.” At the end of her speech she promised to bring her husband, fellow actor Rodrigo Hilbert, to next year’s parade — adding “He’ll come in drag!”
São Paulo Pride 2018 featured 18 floats. Pop star Anitta and drag queen Pabllo Vittar were this year’s guests of honor, riding on the main float.
Check out Hornet’s photos from São Paulo Pride 2018:
Given the political theme of this year’s parade, every speaker, including the artists and political leaders, urged Pride-goers to vote for candidates who support our community. The official slogan was “LGBTQ+ Power: Our Vote, Our Voice.”
This year’s Pride manifesto said, in part, “Of the 581 members of parliament, there’s only one openly gay deputy who defends our flag. Unfortunately, we still have few allies in Parliament joining us in our call for equal rights and citizenship.”
This year’s São Paulo Pride 2018 parade is believed to be the world’s largest, with over 3 million people taking part. We’ll have to wait for confirmation, though. Official numbers have yet not been released.
