At the Philadelphia Pride March, hope and resilience — and a 600-foot-long flag — were on display

As she stood alone on Walnut Street in Center City, Rowan Thayer’s eyes sparkled with joy as she felt everything but lonely.

Amid Pride flags and drum rolls, the 25-year-old — who recently moved from a rural area in Massachusetts — found a sense of belonging in her first Philadelphia Pride March Sunday morning.

On Sixth and Walnut Streets, an ocean of people dressed in rainbow patterns, holding signs, and carrying LGBTQ+ flags provided a warm welcome.

Wearing a pink shirt reading “Our presence is permanent,” Councilmember-at-large Rue Landau — the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to Philadelphia City Council — addressed the crowd.

“As much as pride is a moment of celebration, we are also here to say that we are going to stand up and fight back,” Landau said, referring to the Trump administration’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ people’s rights. “I promise you, City Council … we are here for you, we will stand up for you, and we will fight back.”

In the last four months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, multiple policies targeting the LGBTQ+ community have been put in place, including having the National Park Service remove the word transgender from the Stonewall National Monument website.

As a transgender and nonbinary person, Thayer also confessed to feeling upset at the Trump administration’s policies.

“That anger hasn’t done much for me at this point,” Thayer said. “That’s why I came here, because being out there existing was really isolating.”

As marchers waved the newly expanded 600-foot-long Pride flag down Sixth Street and toward the heart of the Gayborhood, Thayer wasn’t the only one feeling less lonely.

Proudly holding her girlfriend’s hand, Kerryne Mesidor, 21, was happy to be at her first Pride celebration since recently coming out to her parents.

“Coming out was a scary thing to do, but I’m proud of myself,” Mesidor said. “It’s liberating for sure and it’s nice to be out in the open.”

Mesidor and her girlfriend, Kiara Peralta, have been dating for the last two months.

Peralta loves Mesidor’s drive and courage, but she can’t help but feel like in the current political climate “it’s hard to plan for the future.”

“It’s uncomfortable that our rights could potentially be taken away,” Peralta said. “It feels like unknown and scary, but we do our best to stay positive, that’s why this is uplifting,” Mesidor pitched in.

Holding “Say gay,” “Stop homophobia,” and multiple other signs in both arms, Ron Raz, 75, also is trying to remain hopeful.

For the last 50 years, he has shared his life with his now husband in Bucks County. “He is everything to me,” Raz said.

He might have retired from his corporate job, but he continues to fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, including to be married.

“I will be upset if they roll back [marriage rights] and will be here fighting, but we can be positive that Trump won’t be in office forever,” Raz said. “[LGBTQ+ people] have been around since the beginning of time. There is no reason for us to allow them to crush us.”

In the spirit of resilience, the crowd arrived at the Pride festival, at 11th and Locust Streets, around noon, where food trucks, stages, and performances awaited them to continue the celebration.

The crowd dispersed with some lining up for Colombian empanadas and other food options, as others watched street performances including the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus interpretation of “Rise up” from the Broadway musical Hamilton.

In total, more than 100,000 people were expected to participate in Pride weekend, spokesperson Korey Aversa said. Festivities were to extend past Sunday.

On Monday, Visit Philly will be unveiling a new installation for Pride Month at Cherry Street Pier. Organizers were keeping specifics under wraps over the weekend.

Beyond the celebrations, Raz hopes younger LGBTQ+ people know they are not alone.

“Don’t ever give up,” Raz said. “One day, you will get to express yourself and feel alive. Keep going.”