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Pride in Pictures: A rainbow breaks out over small-town Nebraska

The colors were bright in Hastings that day.
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Hundreds of residents of Hastings, NE gather under a huge inflatable rainbow to pose for a portrait.
Residents of Hastings, NE gather for a group portrait under a rainbow Photo: Christine Einsel Haba, used with permission

When all is said and done, it’s Pride again.

For four years running now, we’ve asked our readers to share a memorable pic from their Pride celebrations, and you’ve responded with hundreds of scenes of joy, laughter, tears and rainbows… lots of rainbows 🌈🌈🌈. For Pride in Pictures 2023, the colors are just as bright and the laughter just as joyful.

Related:

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Wait until you see Daisy Duck slay the walkway.

Thanks to everyone who’s shared their Pride!

Name: Randal Kottwitz

Location: Hastings, Nebraska

Year: 2023

Photographer: Christine Einsel Haba

The story: Over 650 people gathered at Hastings Pride on June 3, 2023, and 500 of them marched a 2-mile route down the main drag of town.

The featured speaker was Machaela Cavanaugh, the Nebraska senator who had recently completed the longest filibuster in U.S. history to stop a bill restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth. She inspired the crowd with a message of hope and love and received three standing ovations.

The energy for the day was incredible — despite occasional rain. There were many families with children in the crowd, of all sexual orientations. Even a downpour in the last half-hour of the day didn’t dampen spirits, and only resulted in the young people dancing in the rain.

Pride in Hastings, Nebraska
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