The Bay Area Intactivists Group, sponsored by MGMBill.org, marched again this year in the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade. The organizers chose the slogan "The Audacity of Pride" to reflect how gay activism has, through sheer will, persevered to the point of making marriage available for all - and to remind us there is still much work to be done.
James Loewen, a Vancouver-based photographer and videographer, came to San Francisco this year to document the experiences of many activists who oppose infant circumcision (intactivists) and their yearly participation in the pride parade. We agreed to work together during the parade and afterwards to document the experience.
You never know what may happen in activism as in life. And so out of the crowd came an audacious supporter indeed. The self-proclaimed "Lady Miss Saigon" jumped the rails and grabbed a sign, hoisting it aloft and walked three blocks or more with us to the end in 4 inch heels.
Apart from the excellent footage James got of her, official media of all sorts, many with actual press passes jumped in the mix and started shooting, reminding me and hopefully us all that we must come out of the closet for genital integrity no matter who or where we are.
Interestingly, it was at this point that a monitor came over and asked for my press pass. I showed him my t-shirt to persuade him I was part of the group. I was flattered. There are many more photos, perhaps 250 in all, which will be made available shortly for various projects.
Click on the photos to enlarge.
