Reflections on pride season

I’ve finally unpacked the last bin from my car, put the tent back in the garage, and have started shifting gears to get through our next hurdle — the NY Now trade show in early August — but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the season of Pride ‘25.

This year, we did several Pride events, both big and small. I have to say, queer events are bringing immaculate vibes pretty much all every time. Even when the day is long, or the weather is hot, we’ve really got each other, and that makes my heart feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy. I think being queer inherently brings a sense of community you don’t find everywhere. It’s one of the things I love about queerness. Anyway, the other vendors aren’t the only people bringing immaculate vibes. I’m so grateful for every single person we’ve met at the festivals, who’ve said hi, who have taken home a piece of my heart with them. Sometimes it can honestly feel like too much to keep Anna Parade going, but every time someone tells me that my work has deeply impacted them, it feels like a sign to keep going. So thank you thank you thank you.

I don’t have to tell you that we're live in terrifying times. The news gets worse every minute, and sometimes it all starts to feel too big and scary and hard. I think the other thing I noticed this year is definitely an undertone of, “This is serious — we need this joy to get through the fight!” Thank goodness we’re not alone!

For me, making space for queer joy is making it bearable. Queer open mic nights have been a buoy. Watching the sun set over Lake Ontario fills me up. Laughing with the people I love makes me believe that all the hoping and working we’re doing in this fucking insane timeline is worth something. The gardens and bees remind me that all of this is cyclical, and that doesn’t mean I can sit on my ass and watch it happen, but it means that there’s always good and beauty in the world if we’re looking for it.

I don’t mean to sound trite — shit is genuinely hard for so very many people right now. As a millennial, I’ve been through tons of “unprecedented events,” and this timeline keeps getting more and more fucked up. And also — please do be kind to yourself. Your nervous system doesn’t know that someone else “has it harder.” It’s trying to keep YOU safe. So make time for joy, for rest. Let yourself laugh, journal, make art, go in the lake. Fill your cup, mmk?

And as always: Free Palestine. Free Congo. Free Sudan.