BuzzFeed News attended San Francisco's 15th annual Trans March, which started as a gathering in Dolores Park before the crowd wound its way toward Market street downtown. We spoke with some marchers in attendance about what brought them to the march and asked if they had any words of support to share with those who could not attend themselves.
"I'm here to support all genderqueer and trans people, particularly my son who is trans."
"This is the second time I've been here and I thought about going with my friends, but I really wanted to bring my mom, because I have plenty of years to do it with my friends and I think my mom is one of my biggest supporters. She took care of me when I had top surgery just a few weeks ago."
—Haydun, he/him or they/them
"The trans community is courageous, proud, and resilient."
"I'm from Wilmington, North Carolina. What really brought me out here is knowing there are so many people in the South that are really struggling right now. I want to have access to these resources, all this knowledge, the people at this event, so I can bring all this back to the community that needs it.
I know it can seem like you're never going to reach this point, that it can never happen for you. My words of advice would be to keep pushing. Surround yourself with people who are going to cheer you on."
—Ray Hughs, they/them
"This is my first pride in San Francisco — I've been to parades in Italy, but nothing like this."
"I'm visiting from Italy and staying with my aunts. This is my first pride in San Francisco — I've been to parades in Italy, but nothing like this."
—Dylan, he/him
"The trans community is open, loving, and diverse."
"I'm here for the community, duh. This is my first time at the march."
—James Brookes, he/him
"I'm here for my trans friend who was too sick to attend. It was his top priority for Pride this year."
"My dear friend is trans and really wanted to be here today. Unfortunately, he is too sick and wasn't able to make it today."
—Miranja Felix, she/her
"I think the big thing is — it's never too late."
"I think the big thing is — it's never too late. A lot of people transition late in life. A lot of people feel like if they miss it they'll never be pretty or valuable and that's just not true. The community is resilient."
—Corrin, they/them
"The reason I'm at Trans Pride march for my fifth time in a row? Our rights are under attack, obviously."
"The reason I'm at Trans Pride march for my fifth time in a row? Our rights are under attack, obviously. Federal protections for transgender prisoners are gone, the military, and who knows what's next."
—Brianna, she/her or they/them
Other scenes from around the march:
