You Missed An Amazing Gay Pride Parade in Istanbul

During my trip to Istanbul the other weekend, I walked into a spirited pride parade on the famous Istiklal street, and reveled in the diverse participants of this parade. I saw tourists cheering on, people jumping onto street lamps and construction vehicles, and locals hanging off of balconies to get good views of the parade and to snap photos. I saw groups of women wearing full hijabs clapping along with the rhythmic chants and drumbeats.

A continent away, just a few days later, DOMA was struck down in the U.S. eliciting much elation throughout my country. I thought I would pay special  attention to this parade, given the timing of the Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA, and the NYC Pride Parade this past weekend. Enjoy!