Sat, 06/07/2025 - 4:29pm

Erica Thoms

(Photo by Erica Thoms)

BELFAST — The downtown streets of Belfast were inundated with rainbow flags as participants and supporters gathered for the annual Belfast Has Pride parade. The procession traveled from Belfast Area High School on Waldo Ave, down Main Street to its conclusion in Heritage Park. The parade was hosted by Our Town Belfast.

This year's jubilation was accompanied by a spirit of resistence, with one supporter chanting into a microphone, "death before detransition," and other chants of "trans rights are all rights," periodically emerging from the procession. Signs of support and solidarity were littered through the crowd of smiling faces.

This year's parade was not just one of celebration, but one of protest against hostility toward transgender and nonbinary people.

While the sky was overcast, rain droplets held off until the parade was passing Post Office Square, and those in attendance didn't seem to mind.

A handful of drummers, families with children, older couples, hula-hoopers, and allies joined the procession. Some clapped along to drums, while another filled the air with bubbles. The Belfast Co-op participated in the parade, in addition to the Unitarian Church, the Greater Bay Ministerium, United Church of Christ, Waldo County Democrats, St. Margaret's Episcopil Church, Quakers In Belfast, Out Maine, and Bank of America among other groups.

The parade concluded in Heritage Park, where there is typically a gathering to celebrate another successful parade and pride event, though the crowds were smaller than usual due to the ever-increasing rain.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com