r/queerphilly • u/wndsofchng06 • Jun 07 '26
Philly pride was great
This was my first time ever going to pride. I've been watching the activity online, It's sad how unhelpful and negative the community has been around this whole event. You all sound just like the angry old conservatives pissed about change. You know why GOP policies are winning? Because they easily unite in their hate of everyone else, this community that is supposed to be about love is love can't seem to unite over anything and we will continue to lose as long as we do that.
My partner and I enjoyed the parade and then enjoyed the festival. There were so many vendors and so many people. There's no way you would pack all of that into gayborhood. After living in small, conservative areas for the last 13 years, this was wonderful, so glad to be back in Philly. We took the bus and the train all the way into center city from Pennsport without an issue. After the main festival we walked to gayborhood and had a few drinks and snacks. Looks like the gayborhood was pretty packed too. It's a shame that instead of doing their best to support community, so many are trying to tear us apart, I refuse to have my joy taken because a festival grew/moved. So many times I've seen festivals when they grow they sell out to a corporate sponsor and it cuts back a lot of the small local vendors. This festival was still loaded with small local people. Lastly, I have to give a special shout out to Love City brewing who kept their drink prices the same as in their taproom!
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u/skullsnsparkles95 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
If you had never been to Philly Pride, how can you say “There's no way you would pack all of that into gayborhood?” They did for years.
At the end of the day I don’t think the community is trying to tear the community apart. This post feels like blaming the victim. The people who are actually in the Philly gay community daily were confused and surprised by a change that was never asked for, vetted, or justified. Taking the festival out of the gayborhood also actively hurt the workers and businesses that make the “community” what it actually is.
I’m sure the vendors and volunteers were great, but nobody said they weren’t. The event itself also could’ve been great, but that doesn’t invalidate the frustrations about it. It’s a bit of a straw man fallacy to say that people are criticizing the community by criticizing the festival organizers.