Life

Pride in Pictures: Screaming and laughing through the tears

Belonging overcomes grief at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
By · Updated on June 13, 2023
A smiling woman in an Act Up tank raises her fist at the New York Pride parade in 1992.
Chris Almvig at the 1992 New York City Pride Parade Photo: Vic Gustafson, used with permission

Like sands through the hourglass, 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:

Pride in Pictures: Parading in protest

In Miami Beach, this year’s march got back to basics.

Thanks to everyone who’s shared their Pride!

Name: Chris Almvig

Location: New York City

Year: 1992

Photographer: My friend Vic Gustafson. He passed away.

The story: There was overwhelming sadness in my life because of AIDS. I was a gay activist and belonged to many organizations and consequently lost 22 friends to this horrid disease. The Gay Pride March gave me the opportunity to yell, scream, cry, laugh and hug countless people; some I knew and some I didn’t.

Two weeks before this picture was taken, I lost dear Ken and Franklin, and I questioned whether I could march. But I knew they would have wanted me to be there for them and to celebrate our community as well as demand our rights. So, despite my grief, I look joyful to belong to my “logical family”.

Chris Almvig poses in an ACT Up t-shirt at the 1992 Pride Parade in New York City.
Chris Almvig, used with permission
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