Revelers celebrate gay pride at San Francisco’s Dolores Park
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Thousands of people converged on Dolores Park in San Francisco on Saturday, celebrating the first day of gay pride weekend.
The park was a sea of color, including tight glittery shorts, neon tutus, purple parasols and a dog with rainbow-dyed fur. A giant pink triangle was displayed nearby on the side of Twin Peaks.
Partiers sipped beer, ate ice cream and danced to throbbing music under a pristine blue sky. Some people thought it was too hot for much clothing, opting for bathing suits or the smallest of Speedos.
One group of friends -- most straight, one gay -- had been planning to experience their first pride weekend together. They were reclining on the lawn, taking in the scene.
“It’s my first gay pride and the first since gay marriage is legal here,” said Sarah Lynn, 18. “It makes it much more of a celebration.”
For some people, nothing was really different. Asked about the best part of pride weekend, Rahni Simpson, 30, had a one-word answer: “Men.”
He and two friends were wearing Speedo-type underwear and not much else.
“Every year the men get cuter or I get drunker,” said Charley Gauxdown, 28.
The weekend is a party for everyone, gay and straight, they said.
“There is no race. There is no gender,” said Chadd Behavior, 27. “Just people coming together.”
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Twitter: @chrismegerian | chris.megerian@latimes.com
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Former staff writer Chris Megerian covered the White House from the Los Angeles Times’ D.C. bureau until January 2022.