Pride in Pictures: Discovering “a whole new world”

Pride in Pictures, a whole new world
Photo: David Fickenscher

For our second annual Pride in Pictures, LGBTQ Nation asked readers to submit a meaningful photo of themselves at Pride.

We have absolutely loved seeing your joy, your glitter, your fabulous outfits, and of course, your pride. Now, we’re spending the summer sharing some of our favorite photos and stories with all of you.

Related: Pride in Pictures: Marching out of the closet

Name: 

David Fickenscher

Location:

Palm Springs, California

What makes this photo special to you?

The person in the picture is from Egypt. We had met him as an exchange student a few years previous. The first thing he told us was that he was just waiting for his father to find out he was gay so he could kill him. We moved him in with us that school year and showed him what life was like for us. He went back to Egypt and during the second revolution we got him back to the states and started the process to get him political asylum.

This was his first pride parade and immediately after I took this picture, a PSPD police officer walked up to him. He fell back on the ground in sheer terror. The cop waved his pride flag and said, “Happy Pride!” He then looked at me, tears in his eyes, and said, “This is a whole new world.” He is now a citizen and has a husband and an amazing future ahead of him. He is one of my pride and joys!

Pride in Pictures, a whole new world
David Fickenscher
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