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: The first time I felt proud
Name:
Never Miss a Beat
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Paulina Angel
Location:
Palm Springs Pride, 2013
What makes this photo special to you?
The significance with this photo has to do with the events prior. I’d been feeling depressed because as a trans person, I was getting nowhere in my life in being able to live my authentic self, and was making plans to take my own life.
The night before this photo, a friend asked me to come down to Palm Springs to help the LGBTQ Community Center decorate for the parade the next day. I’d never been to Pride before, so I figured that I should work one in. So I showed up around 7 in the morning and we decorated these palm trees. Afterwards, I was going to walk up the street to watch the parade when the center asked me to walk in the parade, holding one of the palm trees. I accepted the invitation.
This picture was taken by my baby sister Selena, who had come out earlier that year to me. I didn’t know she was at the parade and I came last minute, so it was great to share my first pride experience with her. It was after this day that things in my life started to turn around. Four years later, I would be invited by Palm Springs Pride to be part of their Board Of Directors, becoming the first female, Latinx, millennial, trans & lesbian member of the board. The last time I walked in the Parade was in 2016, as an honoree of Pride.
