Awwww

This tear-jerking parade video shows the power of Pride

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These days, it’s easy to forget what Pride is all about. With so much queer visibility and corporate sponsorship, Pride parades can feel just like any other party, but moments like one from a Pride march in Portugal remind us what queer community looks like in action.

The video comes from a Pride celebration in Porto, Portugal, where an older man was waving a Portuguese flag from his doorstep as Pride-goers marched by. According to folks in attendance, the crowd at first thought he was a nationalist protesting the celebration, before they realized he simply wanted to join them but didn’t have any other flag to use.

Seeing this, a young Pride-goer named Lily offered to trade him for their rainbow flag. The man held the flag up and hugged it to his chest, seemingly overcome with emotion. The moment quickly went viral, tugging the heartstrings of queer folks in Portugal and beyond. 

The man’s emotions were also captured in a powerful photograph, one that’s even inspired its own fanart.

Lily themself recounted the moment on TikTok, explaining that the man waved them over to drape his Portuguese flag over their shoulders, and that the whole crowd stopped to watch. “I was so taken aback, and it was such a beautiful moment,” they said.

In response, Lily wrapped their Pride flag around his shoulders, creating the viral moment captured in the video.

“I don’t know what came over me, to be very honest. He’s just, like, crying, and I’m trying not to cry, and it’s super overwhelming. Everyone’s giving me hugs, everyone’s giving the gentleman hugs,” they recalled. It was a really incredible moment, and the entirety of the rest of the march, I just kept — everyone, all of us were like, ‘What just happened to us?’”

“I would love to get to know him and to say thank you for that beautiful moment, since I didn’t have the time to do it then,” they concluded. “There is hope out there, and that’s just the spirit of Pride.”

@lily.ctrlv

Obrigada @maranunes e @PÚBLICO pela cobertura! #fyp #pride2024 #storytime #gayrights #lgbt #queer

♬ A Day in My Life – Soft boy

Related:

Meet the asexual icon who just led London’s Pride parade

A famous fascist’s granddaughter said “Happy Pride” and the Internet has thoughts

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