UPDATE: There are now pictures of me and Ingrid! They’re appended at the end of the post.

This was definitely the most fun I’ve ever had sitting around in the sun for hours waiting to walk down the street.

Last Sunday’s LGBT Pride Parade in San Francisco was the largest ever, by a considerable margin — estimated at about 1.5 million people. I’m not surprised — I’ve been to a lot pf Pride Parades in my time, and I’ve never been to one this ginormous. Clearly, the whole same-sex marriage thing had everyone who cared even remotely about LGBT rights and pride and stuff turning out to celebrate.

I was marching with the atheist contingent — and I would not have missed it for the world. Even with the whole “waiting for the entire San Francisco Bay Area queer and queer-supportive community to march down Market Street until it was our turn” thing. Here are some pictures of the fun. Hope to see you there next year!

So happy to see Heina from Skepchick at the parade, sporting a “Happy Heathen” sign! And she looked mega-awesome. This picture does not do her justice. (There are better pictures of her in the Meetup page photo gallery, along with some other great shots.)

David Byars, with his ever-popular “Leviticus Says… Crazy Shit” sign. Always a crowd-pleaser.

Amanda, with her “Make Love Not Bibles” sign, sporting a T-shirt with a Godzilla-like dinosaur breathing rainbow-colored fire. Because, why not?

“Gay and Good Without God.” Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

“Good Without A God.” Plus parasol/ umbrella sporting rainbow-colored happy faces. Again — pretty much sums it up.

And the sign with the picture of a Bible, reading, “I only want one thing shoved down my throat! And this ain’t it!” And in a completely different way… pretty much sums it up.

You gotta love rainbow bandoliers, fuzzy Muppet rainbow wrist-warmers, and a rainbow swim cap with a feather faux-hawk. Werq it!

I completely love the T-shirts that say “Atheists” — in the Oakland Athletics green-and-yellow colors and script. It’s such a double-take mind-fuck.

Here’s my old colleague Kristine, in yet another “Oakland Atheists”-type T-shirt, with a sign saying, “The Golden Rule works for me.”

Dave dressed as Cupid, with a sign reading, “Another non-existent god.”

And again, with the back of the sign reading, “Cupid Hearts Same-Sex Couples.” Because non-existent gods believe whatever you want them to!

There was a whole series of banners printed like the Surgeon General’s warning on cigarette packs. This one: “Surgeon General’s Warning: exposure to secondhand religion may result in loopy people knocking on your door early on Saturday morning, brainwashing, and confusion about scientific facts.”

“Surgeon General’s Warning: exposure to secondhand religion may result in appallingly dull fashions, funerals disrupted by hate mongering fanatics, or death by delusional suicide bombers.”

“Surgeon General’s Warning: exposure to secondhand religion may result in your child being molested by a priest, unwanted pregnancy, belief in omnipotent sky fairies and death by stoning.”

“Surgeon General’s Warning: exposure to secondhand religion may result in failing grades on natural history and science tests, high pressure guilt trips and being burnt at the stake as a witch.”

“Equality That’s All We Ever Wanted Thank You!!!” And much rainbow festooning.

“Friendly Atheist. Don’t worry. We don’t bite.” Well… only when asked. 🙂

“Good Without God.” If you’re willing to sit on a curb for hours to wait your turn to march in this damn parade, just because it’s all historical and shit… damn straight you’re good without God.

Ingrid and I stupidly didn’t get any pictures of us together — which sucks, since we looked awesome, and were accidentally color-co-ordinated and everything. (If anyone got any pics of us, please let me know!) But here’s one of me that I got from the Meetup page photo gallery, in my tricorn hat and zebra-print cardigan and pink tights and pirate boots, with a sign reading, “Queer Atheist for Bradley Manning. (If you want background about why I had a Bradley Manning sign at the Parade, here’s the context.)

Happy Same-Sex Marriage Pride Weekend, everyone! If you’re godless in the San Francisco Bay Area, hope to see you at next year’s parade! Maybe we’ll have same-sex marriage in the whole country by then!

*****

UPDATE: Here are pics of me and Ingrid!