Pride From Above (2023) Movie Script
NARRATOR: This is an
invitation to Pride,
as you've never seen it before.
From above.
We'll take a flying
tour across the world
as LGBTQ+ people
celebrate Pride...
ALL: Happy Pride!
NARRATOR: And
demand equal rights.
From parades, to
protest marches,
our cameras will reveal
the color and spectacle
of some of the
world's great Pride events.
We'll fly over majestic
falls as they light the way
for the annual Pride season.
We'll see
streets turn rainbow in
one of the world's
most progressive countries.
And we'll see how Pride lights
up the hearts of people from
all over the world as Pride
and the hope for liberation
for all LBGTQ+ people
spreads around the world.
(theme music plays)
NARRATOR: Pride events are held
in 107 countries around
the world each year.
People march for Pride
in most of Western Europe.
In the United States alone
there are more than
200 different Prides.
From Amsterdam to Antarctic and
from Tel Aviv to Mexico City.
All seven continents of
the world mark LGBTQ+ Pride.
Most Pride events take place
in a northern hemisphere summer,
but in February, in
the southern hemisphere,
a year of Pride begins.
We start our adventure at
one of the first Pride events
of the calendar year.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Sydney's Pride
is an extravaganza of color
and queer joy.
ALL: Happy Mardi Gras!
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The
world-famous Mardi Gras Parade
is a celebration of
Pride like no other and
has been an
annual event since 1978.
CHRIS: It's the
best time of the year.
It's gay Christmas.
NARRATOR: From the
Queer First nations community
to drag performers of
all kinds, people come from
all over Australia to take
part in the huge Pride parade.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Gearing up to take
part in the parade this year
is Michelle Ricketts.
She's a member of
Lifesavers with Pride,
the LGBTQIA+ arm of
Surf Life Saving Australia.
MAN: Ready, five,
six, seven, eight.
NARRATOR: The lifesavers are
one of over 200 parade entrants
who will be
dancing and marching along
Sydney's queer mile
during Mardi Gras.
In preparation
for the big parade,
they spend weeks rehearsing
a choreographed dance routine.
MICHELLE: I feel
really excited to be part of
the Mardi Gras Parade.
It's probably one of my
favorite parts of the year.
The rehearsals are
going really good.
So, now it's just
about perfecting the
different movements
and making sure that
everyone moves in
exactly the same time.
So we look amazing.
NARRATOR: Surf Life Saving
Australia volunteers have been
keeping swimmers safe
at Australian beaches
for over 100 years.
The lifesavers are
considered heroes in Australia,
and are a crowd
favorite in the parade.
Tonight's their final
rehearsal before the big event
and they practice for
hours into the night to
perfect their performance.
MAN: Five, six, seven, eight.
Five, six, seven, eight.
NARRATOR: Two days later.
It's Mardi Gras.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Hundreds of thousands
of people line the streets to
watch Australia's
biggest Pride event.
MICHELLE: The
atmosphere here is amazing.
Everyone's energy is up.
Everyone's excited
and we cannot wait.
NARRATOR: At 7:00 pm.
It's showtime.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The largest
night-time Pride Parade in
the world bursts into life.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Mardi Gras,
like Pride parades and
protests all over the world,
is a mass celebration of
gender and sexual diversity.
It's also a demand
for equal rights for
the entire LBGTQ+ community.
Tonight, 12,000 people are
taking part in this joyous
demonstration of solidarity.
And over half a million
spectators line the streets
to cheer them on.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The Life Savers,
the guardians of
Australia's beaches
are met with a hero's welcome.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: For over
an hour the Life Savers
dance their way through Sydney.
Playing up to the crowds
and celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride.
MICHELLE: I feel proud.
It was incredible.
The crowd was nuts, the energy
they were just throwing at us.
It was amazing.
NARRATOR: The party
lasts long into the night
with Sydney Mardi Gras
complete for another year.
It's just the beginning
for the rest of the world.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Our next
Pride party takes us
to Canada where the world's most
famous waterfall is about
to receive a Pride glow-up.
Pride month is
marked globally every June
and at Niagara Falls,
its residents are
gearing up to celebrate
the beginning of
this special month.
Liam Coward, a local activist,
is working with the
park's illuminations board,
to mark the
occasion by lighting up
the falls in a
giant Pride Rainbow.
LIAM: It's really exciting.
I look forward to
Pride Month every year because
it's a time of celebration, but
it's also a time of advocacy.
A queer, trans
and 2SLGBT people,
this is the month for them.
This is the month to
sort of be themselves and
to be seen and,
and visible and heard.
NARRATOR: This
evening's celebrations include
a special fireworks display.
The team set more
than 500 individual shells
ready for launch.
The pyrotechnics will
fill the skies with color,
above the illuminated falls.
There couldn't be a
bigger or more famous backdrop
for tonight's
celebration of Canadian Pride.
Canada's first Gay rights
protest took place in 1971 with
100 people marching on
Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Today around
two million people take part
in over 50 separate marches and
celebrations across the country.
Night descends on Niagara.
The lights switch on.
(water rumbling)
The illuminations
turn Niagara Falls into
a multi-colored
spectacle as one by one,
colors are cast
across the famous torrent.
They culminate in
one giant rainbow of light
across the walls of water.
LIAM: To see the rainbow
is just such a beautiful and
iconic symbol for our community.
And I hope it really
fills people with joy
and with Pride, of course.
NARRATOR: With
Niagara transformed into
a glittering beacon of Pride,
the fireworks complete
the evening's celebrations.
(explosions)
LIAM: I hope the
message for everyone watching
these illuminations, who
sees the waterfall is lit up in
those beautiful rainbow colors,
as are a few things.
Acceptance, love, equality, uh,
and just joy.
NARRATOR: Whether in
celebration or in protest,
the rainbow is a universal
symbol of the Pride Movement.
The Pride Rainbow flag
was designed by American,
Gilbert Baker in 1978,
as a banner under which
all Queer people
could find belonging.
And today it flies
proudly as a beacon of Pride,
including at the oldest
Pride event in the world.
NARRATOR: The next stop on
our Pride journey is the place
where it all began,
New York City.
And a very
special floating parade.
Each summer, one of the
most diverse cities in the USA
erupts in a sea of rainbow.
From uptown, to the
world's most famous gay bar,
the Stonewall Inn and beyond.
(whistles blaring)
Parades, marches
and street parties span
the length of Manhattan.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Even the
Hudson gets in on the action.
Each year, this
famous river plays host to
the annual Pride
sailing regatta.
Liz Woolley learned to
sail on the Hudson and
looks forward to
this event all year.
LIZ: I'm excited.
There's no other greater
feeling than like sailing down
the Hudson with our
huge Pride flags and
it's a extra ounce of
excitement in the air.
NARRATOR: It's 11:00 am and
Liz and her crew mates set sail
on their special journey.
New York's LGBTQ+ Sailing Club,
the Knickerbocker
Sailing Association,
hosts the annual
Rainbows on the Hudson Regatta.
They will sail around the
southern tip of Manhattan today
and to the Statue of Liberty,
where they'll
meet with other boats.
The course takes
them past midtown
and Greenwich Village...
The place where Pride began.
It was here in June 1969
that New Yorkers first rose up
against the
criminalization of homosexuality
and the mistreatment
of LGBTQ+ people.
(yelling)
NARRATOR: Following a police
raid on the Stonewall Inn,
a well-known gay bar
in Greenwich Village,
queer people protested
for six days and nights
demanding equality.
(yelling)
NARRATOR: The following year,
on the anniversary of
the Stonewall uprising,
LGBTQ+ New Yorkers
marched again,
calling their
demonstrations a Pride march.
Building on decades of activism,
the event helped
inspire queer people
around the world to action
and the global
Pride movement was born.
Today, more than 50 years on,
Liz and the crew anchor under
the shadow of
the Statue of Liberty while
the other boats in
the flotilla arrive.
One by one the sailors
dive into the summer waters to
celebrate their journey.
Lady Liberty watches on, as
the boaters enjoy a floating
Pride Party that lasts
long into the afternoon.
LIZ: I feel so great.
And that's what
New York Pride is.
Pride is a riot.
Pride is a party.
Pride is a celebration.
We're happy, we're here,
we're queer, and
we're not going anywhere.
NARRATOR: From its
defiant beginnings, today,
Pride events take
many different forms.
In Lithuania,
hot air balloons fly rainbows
over the capital city,
Vilnius during Pride.
This airborne spectacle is a
dramatic show of solidarity with
the Baltic LGBTQ+ community.
Staying in Europe, we fly
to one of the first countries
outside of the USA
to March for Pride.
In August each year, the
English seaside town of Brighton
explodes into a mass of people,
color and festivity as
its world-famous Pride Parade
takes over the entire city.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: A highlight
of the parade is
its giant rainbow flag.
Leighton De Burca is Brighton
Pride's volunteer coordinator.
LEIGHTON: Being
part of Pride today is
exciting, stressful,
fun, um, exhilarating.
So many people always wanting to
carry the huge rainbow flag and
volunteer every year.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: At
11:00 am the march begins.
From above, the
164-foot-long flag appears as
a wave of color against
the expanse of pebble beach.
(whistles blaring)
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Brighton is known
worldwide for its Pride Parade.
It began as a small
protest march in 1972,
just two years after the very
first Pride march in New York.
Today, the three-day
event attracts an estimated
400,000 people making it one of
the United Kingdom's
largest Pride events.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The thriving
LGBTQ+ community comes out
in force to
support the Pride Parade.
OLEME: I feel elated,
you understand?
It's like having
a bird in a cage.
And the bird being
released out of the cage.
'Cause coming
from Nigeria, and being gay,
it's not something
that I can do back home.
And it's the best, best feeling.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The cheering
crowds line the parade route
right down to the sea front.
LEIGHTON: Seeing that
huge sea of color and
wave through the city with
so many joyous people cheering.
It just makes people happy.
NARRATOR: At
Brighton's famous pavilion,
the flag travels the
final stages of the route.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: And as the
parade ends for another year,
the party continues
into the evening.
(whistle blaring)
WOMAN: Let's go!
WOMAN 2: Excited, emotional.
Everyone is happy, yee-haw.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Across the world,
and throughout history,
many cultures have had a more
expansive concept of gender
than just male and female.
On Australia's Tiwi Islands,
the aboriginal community
recognizes gender diversity.
Sistergirl and brotherboy are
terms of self-identification for
many aboriginal
gender-diverse people.
In North America, two spirit
people are a part of a lineage
that expresses sexual
and gender diversity.
And the Zapotec culture in
southern Mexico recognizes
Muxes as a third gender,
distinct from male and female.
The Pride of today
has moved beyond LGBT.
It's grown.
And it embraces a
far wider spectrum of
gender identities
and expressions
as it continues
to drive towards Progress.
There is an island in
the north Atlantic that has
led the way in emancipation
for all LGBTQ+ people.
NARRATOR: Our
next Pride takes us to
one of the world's most
socially progressive countries
where equality is
painted onto its streets.
Reykjavik Pride is the
biggest public festival
in all of Iceland.
Over 100,000 people
take to the streets for this
huge celebration of freedom
for the country's queer people.
Every year, a week
before the main Pride event,
the city chooses a
street to be decked out
in bright Pride colors.
Today, in the
center of the city,
volunteers are preparing to
paint the busy retail street,
Bankastraeti with a
giant Progress Pride flag.
Among the volunteers
painting the street today is
queer educator
and activist, Mars.
MARS: We are painting
the street of Bankastraeti in
the Intersex-Inclusive
Progress Pride flag.
So we are not only focusing on
people who are gay or lesbian or
bisexual or have a
queer sexual orientation.
We're also focusing on
people who are intersex or
people who are trans
and people of color.
NARRATOR: The progress flag is a
Pride flag for the 21st century.
It adds new colors to
the Gilbert Baker rainbow.
The blue, pink and white
represent trans people and
gender diversity.
The black and brown stripes
represent people of color and
the yellow triangle and circle
represent intersex people.
Reykjavik's Progress Pride Flag
will be more than 250 feet long,
and cover one whole city block.
WOMAN: Hi.
(speaking in native language)
NARRATOR: As the
work gets underway,
from above, the street
begins to spring into color
the carefully crafted lines
a symbol of Iceland's
LGBTQ+ Pride.
Iceland is renowned for
its progressive politics.
In 2009 it elected the world's
first lesbian head of state.
Today, that spirit of
inclusivity is reflected in
the volunteers taking part.
MARS: It's not only
queer people themselves,
but also allies
and people that, like,
just want to
celebrate that show up.
And it's really family friendly.
And we have a lot of children
just running around everywhere.
It's really colorful.
NARRATOR: By mid-afternoon the
giant painted flag is complete.
From above, the stretches of
color are a bold addition to
Reykjavik's streets
and a great celebration of
Iceland's queer and
gender diverse people.
For some queer people,
who live in the most
progressive parts of the world,
every day can be an opportunity
to live out and proud.
Year-round visibility of
LGBTQ+ people is important and
makes Pride much
more than a march.
Our next stop
takes us to Germany,
and a ride with a famous
club of motorcycle enthusiasts.
This is the German
branch of the Dykes on Bikes,
a worldwide club
for lesbian bikers and
an iconic member of
the LGBTQ+ community.
Heike is the
president of the club.
HEIKE: The great thing
about Dykes on Bikes is,
first of all, the
sisterhood worldwide.
The solidarity as
a group, it's fantastic.
NARRATOR: It's a
sunny Sunday morning and
the group head off
on a 150 mile ride from
the heart of historic Cologne
to the rural Rhine River Gorge.
The Dykes on Bikes ride
each month of summer, the
club provides a community
and a sense of belonging.
And on today's trip,
they're inducting new members.
BEA: I was just trying to
find some women I can ride with.
Then, I saw the
Dykes on Bikes at Pride
and thought, "Hey, maybe
that's the right community,
we have the same background,
the same interests."
NARRATOR: The Dykes on Bikes
are an icon of LGBTQ+ heritage.
They formed in San Francisco
in the mid-1970s and have been
taking part in
Pride Parades for over 45 years.
The club now has chapters
right across the world.
Each year the bikers
rev up the crowds as
they lead many Pride
marches across the world.
From Canada's
largest Pride in Toronto
to Sydney Mardi Gras
where up to 300 bikes
light up the night-time parade.
In Germany, it's time
for the new riders to become
fully inducted members
of this famous club and
to wear their club
patches with pride.
(speaking German).
BEA: I'm feeling proud to be a
part of these really nice women
who also advocate
for great things,
especially regarding
lesbian visibility to be
a part of the group
is really, really nice.
NARRATOR: LGBTQ+ visibility
in some parts of the world is
celebrated against the
backdrop of snowy white...
(cheering)
NARRATOR: For queer
people the world over,
the opportunity to
marry the one we love is
an important step in equality.
In 2001 the Netherlands was
the first country in the world
to legalize same sex marriage.
Over two decades later,
in Europe, almost 20 countries
recognize same sex marriage.
In the Americas, there are
nine countries where people of
the same gender can live
in legally recognized union.
As of 2023,
same sex marriage is legal in
over 32 countries
across the world.
Our next Pride party is in
the first country in Oceania to
allow same-sex marriage.
New Zealand's
Southern Alps are some of
the highest
mountains in Oceania.
In the peak of Winter
this setting plays host to
a most unusual event.
Winter Pride.
The highlight of the week-long
festival is the Color Run.
It's a mountain Pride Parade.
Skiers dress in
bright rainbow colors and
all their Pride finery.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: It's an event that
Chinese-Australian Justin Song
has been looking
forward to all year.
JUSTIN: I'm very, very
excited about the Color Run.
It's going to lay the mark
and the whole mountain will
know that we are here.
NARRATOR:
New Zealand's Winter Pride
is the largest
Winter Pride Festival
in the Southern Hemisphere.
Alongside skiing,
park runs and partying,
the festival also helps raise
money for local queer charities,
including LGBTQ+
youth support groups.
MAN (over megaphone): Six,
five, four, three, two, one.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The
downhill run begins.
Filling the
mountains with Pride colors.
New Zealand is renowned
as a progressive place for
LGBTQ+ people to live.
As well as Winter Pride,
this small island nation has
over ten other Pride
events throughout the year.
CHELSEA: I feel safe here,
I feel like
everybody is accepting.
Whoo!
MAN: Woo!
WOMAN: I think New Zealand is
a really good place to be LGBT.
Be proud about who you
are and what you're about.
Which I think is the
ultimate goal really.
NARRATOR: After the
ten-minute downhill run
they arrive at the resort.
It's a special moment
for those taking part.
AARON: Seeing all those flags
going down that slope today
I'm super proud of that.
WOMAN: It was like
a ribbon of color.
It was so good I think it
kind of signified the unity.
NARRATOR: The Color Run
is over for another year.
For Justin, it's a
chance to reflect on
the meaning of Winter Pride.
JUSTIN: It makes me proud
of myself being who I am,
of my cultural
background or sexuality,
or just me as a person that
I can be the true myself and
release all that
energy on this mountain.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Not all countries
are as inclusive as New Zealand.
Across most of the world,
queer and gender diverse people
face persecution and
violence on a daily basis.
As of 2023, 67 countries
still criminalize homosexuality.
11 of those can
impose the death penalty
as punishment for being gay.
But glimmers of hope remain
for the people who live in fear.
In Sri Lanka,
despite oppressive laws,
nearly 50 brave
people walk through
the capital city of Columbo.
They march in solidarity to
raise awareness of their plight.
It's a small but
powerful statement of Pride.
Protests and
activism can bring change,
and there are some
nations that appear like
bright beacons of hope,
shining light on their
neighbors and leading the way,
to the future of Pride.
NARRATOR: Next, we travel
to an island in East Asia,
where queer people
enjoy more freedoms than
most others in the region.
Taiwan, its capital's Pride
is one of the largest in all
of East Asia and on a
rainy day it makes for
an extraordinary aerial view.
Sean Du is a local gay activist.
He became involved in LGBTQ+
activism as a university student
and helped organize Taiwan's
first Pride 20 years ago.
There were fewer than
800 fearless activists
at that first protest march.
SEAN: For the first Pride, uh,
people are really
nervous about it.
But now, you can see
that people are very happy.
And it's just like a reunion.
So, I can find
out a lot of friends.
Old friend, new friend.
We connect to each other.
NARRATOR: It's early morning
and Sean and his friends have
arrived at Taipei City Hall to
dress their float
in a mass of balloons.
The float promotes the Taiwan
Tongzhi Hotline Association.
The Hotline is the oldest queer
rights association in Taiwan.
It provides support to tens of
thousands of people each year.
Even in liberal Taipei,
coming out can be a challenge.
And it's vital the
float stands out so that
more people become
aware the Hotline exists.
They put the finishing
touches to the display of over
200 brightly colored balloons
transforming it into
a beacon of LGBTQ+ Pride.
(speaking in native language)
NARRATOR: The rain is
pouring down in Taipei today
but Sean hopes
his bright display
will bring a splash of
sunshine to the gloom.
SEAN: I hope the
weather would be better but
we cannot control it.
So I hope that people won't
be afraid because of weather.
Like more and more LGBcommunity and supporters can
all join us and to celebrate
and also to be our true self.
NARRATOR: After two hours,
the balloons are attached and
the float is ready to go.
From above, the
truck is a mass of color.
SEAN: I think that the most
beautiful float we have so far.
NARRATOR: It's 2:00 pm and
Taipei City Center fills with
tens of thousands
of colorful umbrellas,
as people brave the weather
to march for LGBTQ+ Pride.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Taiwan has a
history of youth led protests
and activism that have aided
the island's liberal stance of
homosexuality and
same sex relationships.
This year's parade has
been another massive success.
Thousands have seen
the Hotline's float.
And Sean hopes it will be a
lifeline to even more people on
their coming out journey.
(cheering)
SEAN: It's very proud for
me to stand on the float.
The first Pride was really hard.
And I cannot imagine that, okay,
so after 20 years,
we can have such big Pride.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The next stop on
our Pride journey takes us
to Mozambique, where art is
making a stand for human rights.
The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress
is a living art work by
Dutch designers
Arnout van Krimpen,
Mattijs van Bergen, Jochem Kaan
and Oeri van Woezik.
The artwork has
travelled globally to
raise awareness
of LGBTQ+ rights.
The dress was displayed in
Mozambique's capital Maputo in
2022 as a way of drawing
attention to the continued fight
for rights across Africa.
From above, the dress,
which is over 2,000 square feet,
is a patchwork of
68 national flags,
and nine rainbow flags.
Each national flag
belongs to a country
that criminalizes LGBTQ+ people.
When a country ends
its discriminatory laws,
its panel will be
replaced with a rainbow.
When every queer person on Earth
is free of legal persecution,
the dress will be transformed
into a gown of rainbow colors.
Staying in Africa, there's
one nation that's pressing for
change across a whole continent.
NARRATOR: We end our
Pride adventure at an event
for the whole of Africa.
Each year LGBTQ+ visitors
from dozens of African nations
descend on the South African
city of Johannesburg.
Organizers need to work
through the night to set up
the infrastructure
for this massive influx.
It's the night
before it all kicks off and
the streets of
Sandton are quiet.
A fleet of trucks line up,
waiting to bring in
the array of stages,
stalls and tents that
will make up the event space.
At midnight the
street is closed and
ready to begin the preparations.
The person in charge of
this huge event is Kaye Ally.
KAYE: You know, the
setup is always very tricky.
It's always a race against time.
What we do, here we have
to do perfectly because it is
for our community
at the end of the day.
NARRATOR: The 100 people rigging
the site work against the clock.
They unload the trucks,
erect the barriers,
and set up the
entire event space.
KAYE: There's a
lot of responsibility.
But if Pride can make a
difference to anyone and
give anyone the
sense of family and
sense of belonging,
then it's all worth it
at the end of the day.
NARRATOR: The following morning,
the sun reveals the
fruits of their labors.
The stage rig is
nearly complete.
The rest areas
are ready to go and
the vehicles start
to clear the site.
A few hours later...
the Pride party
is in full swing.
(cheering)
Drunk in love
DUDUZILE: The atmosphere
today is exuberant fueled with
so much joy and happiness.
So much enthusiasm.
Charisma, we see bold people.
Different types of people.
There's so much.
(sighs)
So much fun.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Alongside the dancing,
Johannesburg Pride
includes a protest march
where thousands of people demand
freedom for all LGBTQ+ Africans.
THABO: I came to represent
other African queer activists
and other African queer,
queer people that are not here.
MAN: Yes, babe!
WOMAN: I live in Midrand but
I'm originally from Swaziland.
This is my first Pride,
so it's very exciting.
It's lovely to be here.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Many call
Johannesburg Pride,
the Pride of Africa.
The first march took
place over 30 years ago,
but it remains one of the few
legal Prides on the continent.
(cheering)
LEBO: Pride of Africa would
definitely mean all the Africans
in the entire continent coming
together and standing firm for
what they believe in,
which is the Rainbow Nation,
the Queer Nation.
But also for being part of
the freedom that we deserve.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: As the sun sets on
a successful Johannesburg Pride
the party continues.
It offers hope to an
entire continent and
an entire world
who want to be free.
Our Pride aerial
adventure is at an end and
from across the world,
we come together with you and
all members of the
global LGBTQ+ community
in strength, unity and Pride.
ALL: Happy Pride!
(cheering)
Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.
invitation to Pride,
as you've never seen it before.
From above.
We'll take a flying
tour across the world
as LGBTQ+ people
celebrate Pride...
ALL: Happy Pride!
NARRATOR: And
demand equal rights.
From parades, to
protest marches,
our cameras will reveal
the color and spectacle
of some of the
world's great Pride events.
We'll fly over majestic
falls as they light the way
for the annual Pride season.
We'll see
streets turn rainbow in
one of the world's
most progressive countries.
And we'll see how Pride lights
up the hearts of people from
all over the world as Pride
and the hope for liberation
for all LBGTQ+ people
spreads around the world.
(theme music plays)
NARRATOR: Pride events are held
in 107 countries around
the world each year.
People march for Pride
in most of Western Europe.
In the United States alone
there are more than
200 different Prides.
From Amsterdam to Antarctic and
from Tel Aviv to Mexico City.
All seven continents of
the world mark LGBTQ+ Pride.
Most Pride events take place
in a northern hemisphere summer,
but in February, in
the southern hemisphere,
a year of Pride begins.
We start our adventure at
one of the first Pride events
of the calendar year.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Sydney's Pride
is an extravaganza of color
and queer joy.
ALL: Happy Mardi Gras!
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The
world-famous Mardi Gras Parade
is a celebration of
Pride like no other and
has been an
annual event since 1978.
CHRIS: It's the
best time of the year.
It's gay Christmas.
NARRATOR: From the
Queer First nations community
to drag performers of
all kinds, people come from
all over Australia to take
part in the huge Pride parade.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Gearing up to take
part in the parade this year
is Michelle Ricketts.
She's a member of
Lifesavers with Pride,
the LGBTQIA+ arm of
Surf Life Saving Australia.
MAN: Ready, five,
six, seven, eight.
NARRATOR: The lifesavers are
one of over 200 parade entrants
who will be
dancing and marching along
Sydney's queer mile
during Mardi Gras.
In preparation
for the big parade,
they spend weeks rehearsing
a choreographed dance routine.
MICHELLE: I feel
really excited to be part of
the Mardi Gras Parade.
It's probably one of my
favorite parts of the year.
The rehearsals are
going really good.
So, now it's just
about perfecting the
different movements
and making sure that
everyone moves in
exactly the same time.
So we look amazing.
NARRATOR: Surf Life Saving
Australia volunteers have been
keeping swimmers safe
at Australian beaches
for over 100 years.
The lifesavers are
considered heroes in Australia,
and are a crowd
favorite in the parade.
Tonight's their final
rehearsal before the big event
and they practice for
hours into the night to
perfect their performance.
MAN: Five, six, seven, eight.
Five, six, seven, eight.
NARRATOR: Two days later.
It's Mardi Gras.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Hundreds of thousands
of people line the streets to
watch Australia's
biggest Pride event.
MICHELLE: The
atmosphere here is amazing.
Everyone's energy is up.
Everyone's excited
and we cannot wait.
NARRATOR: At 7:00 pm.
It's showtime.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The largest
night-time Pride Parade in
the world bursts into life.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Mardi Gras,
like Pride parades and
protests all over the world,
is a mass celebration of
gender and sexual diversity.
It's also a demand
for equal rights for
the entire LBGTQ+ community.
Tonight, 12,000 people are
taking part in this joyous
demonstration of solidarity.
And over half a million
spectators line the streets
to cheer them on.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The Life Savers,
the guardians of
Australia's beaches
are met with a hero's welcome.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: For over
an hour the Life Savers
dance their way through Sydney.
Playing up to the crowds
and celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride.
MICHELLE: I feel proud.
It was incredible.
The crowd was nuts, the energy
they were just throwing at us.
It was amazing.
NARRATOR: The party
lasts long into the night
with Sydney Mardi Gras
complete for another year.
It's just the beginning
for the rest of the world.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Our next
Pride party takes us
to Canada where the world's most
famous waterfall is about
to receive a Pride glow-up.
Pride month is
marked globally every June
and at Niagara Falls,
its residents are
gearing up to celebrate
the beginning of
this special month.
Liam Coward, a local activist,
is working with the
park's illuminations board,
to mark the
occasion by lighting up
the falls in a
giant Pride Rainbow.
LIAM: It's really exciting.
I look forward to
Pride Month every year because
it's a time of celebration, but
it's also a time of advocacy.
A queer, trans
and 2SLGBT people,
this is the month for them.
This is the month to
sort of be themselves and
to be seen and,
and visible and heard.
NARRATOR: This
evening's celebrations include
a special fireworks display.
The team set more
than 500 individual shells
ready for launch.
The pyrotechnics will
fill the skies with color,
above the illuminated falls.
There couldn't be a
bigger or more famous backdrop
for tonight's
celebration of Canadian Pride.
Canada's first Gay rights
protest took place in 1971 with
100 people marching on
Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Today around
two million people take part
in over 50 separate marches and
celebrations across the country.
Night descends on Niagara.
The lights switch on.
(water rumbling)
The illuminations
turn Niagara Falls into
a multi-colored
spectacle as one by one,
colors are cast
across the famous torrent.
They culminate in
one giant rainbow of light
across the walls of water.
LIAM: To see the rainbow
is just such a beautiful and
iconic symbol for our community.
And I hope it really
fills people with joy
and with Pride, of course.
NARRATOR: With
Niagara transformed into
a glittering beacon of Pride,
the fireworks complete
the evening's celebrations.
(explosions)
LIAM: I hope the
message for everyone watching
these illuminations, who
sees the waterfall is lit up in
those beautiful rainbow colors,
as are a few things.
Acceptance, love, equality, uh,
and just joy.
NARRATOR: Whether in
celebration or in protest,
the rainbow is a universal
symbol of the Pride Movement.
The Pride Rainbow flag
was designed by American,
Gilbert Baker in 1978,
as a banner under which
all Queer people
could find belonging.
And today it flies
proudly as a beacon of Pride,
including at the oldest
Pride event in the world.
NARRATOR: The next stop on
our Pride journey is the place
where it all began,
New York City.
And a very
special floating parade.
Each summer, one of the
most diverse cities in the USA
erupts in a sea of rainbow.
From uptown, to the
world's most famous gay bar,
the Stonewall Inn and beyond.
(whistles blaring)
Parades, marches
and street parties span
the length of Manhattan.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Even the
Hudson gets in on the action.
Each year, this
famous river plays host to
the annual Pride
sailing regatta.
Liz Woolley learned to
sail on the Hudson and
looks forward to
this event all year.
LIZ: I'm excited.
There's no other greater
feeling than like sailing down
the Hudson with our
huge Pride flags and
it's a extra ounce of
excitement in the air.
NARRATOR: It's 11:00 am and
Liz and her crew mates set sail
on their special journey.
New York's LGBTQ+ Sailing Club,
the Knickerbocker
Sailing Association,
hosts the annual
Rainbows on the Hudson Regatta.
They will sail around the
southern tip of Manhattan today
and to the Statue of Liberty,
where they'll
meet with other boats.
The course takes
them past midtown
and Greenwich Village...
The place where Pride began.
It was here in June 1969
that New Yorkers first rose up
against the
criminalization of homosexuality
and the mistreatment
of LGBTQ+ people.
(yelling)
NARRATOR: Following a police
raid on the Stonewall Inn,
a well-known gay bar
in Greenwich Village,
queer people protested
for six days and nights
demanding equality.
(yelling)
NARRATOR: The following year,
on the anniversary of
the Stonewall uprising,
LGBTQ+ New Yorkers
marched again,
calling their
demonstrations a Pride march.
Building on decades of activism,
the event helped
inspire queer people
around the world to action
and the global
Pride movement was born.
Today, more than 50 years on,
Liz and the crew anchor under
the shadow of
the Statue of Liberty while
the other boats in
the flotilla arrive.
One by one the sailors
dive into the summer waters to
celebrate their journey.
Lady Liberty watches on, as
the boaters enjoy a floating
Pride Party that lasts
long into the afternoon.
LIZ: I feel so great.
And that's what
New York Pride is.
Pride is a riot.
Pride is a party.
Pride is a celebration.
We're happy, we're here,
we're queer, and
we're not going anywhere.
NARRATOR: From its
defiant beginnings, today,
Pride events take
many different forms.
In Lithuania,
hot air balloons fly rainbows
over the capital city,
Vilnius during Pride.
This airborne spectacle is a
dramatic show of solidarity with
the Baltic LGBTQ+ community.
Staying in Europe, we fly
to one of the first countries
outside of the USA
to March for Pride.
In August each year, the
English seaside town of Brighton
explodes into a mass of people,
color and festivity as
its world-famous Pride Parade
takes over the entire city.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: A highlight
of the parade is
its giant rainbow flag.
Leighton De Burca is Brighton
Pride's volunteer coordinator.
LEIGHTON: Being
part of Pride today is
exciting, stressful,
fun, um, exhilarating.
So many people always wanting to
carry the huge rainbow flag and
volunteer every year.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: At
11:00 am the march begins.
From above, the
164-foot-long flag appears as
a wave of color against
the expanse of pebble beach.
(whistles blaring)
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Brighton is known
worldwide for its Pride Parade.
It began as a small
protest march in 1972,
just two years after the very
first Pride march in New York.
Today, the three-day
event attracts an estimated
400,000 people making it one of
the United Kingdom's
largest Pride events.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The thriving
LGBTQ+ community comes out
in force to
support the Pride Parade.
OLEME: I feel elated,
you understand?
It's like having
a bird in a cage.
And the bird being
released out of the cage.
'Cause coming
from Nigeria, and being gay,
it's not something
that I can do back home.
And it's the best, best feeling.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The cheering
crowds line the parade route
right down to the sea front.
LEIGHTON: Seeing that
huge sea of color and
wave through the city with
so many joyous people cheering.
It just makes people happy.
NARRATOR: At
Brighton's famous pavilion,
the flag travels the
final stages of the route.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: And as the
parade ends for another year,
the party continues
into the evening.
(whistle blaring)
WOMAN: Let's go!
WOMAN 2: Excited, emotional.
Everyone is happy, yee-haw.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Across the world,
and throughout history,
many cultures have had a more
expansive concept of gender
than just male and female.
On Australia's Tiwi Islands,
the aboriginal community
recognizes gender diversity.
Sistergirl and brotherboy are
terms of self-identification for
many aboriginal
gender-diverse people.
In North America, two spirit
people are a part of a lineage
that expresses sexual
and gender diversity.
And the Zapotec culture in
southern Mexico recognizes
Muxes as a third gender,
distinct from male and female.
The Pride of today
has moved beyond LGBT.
It's grown.
And it embraces a
far wider spectrum of
gender identities
and expressions
as it continues
to drive towards Progress.
There is an island in
the north Atlantic that has
led the way in emancipation
for all LGBTQ+ people.
NARRATOR: Our
next Pride takes us to
one of the world's most
socially progressive countries
where equality is
painted onto its streets.
Reykjavik Pride is the
biggest public festival
in all of Iceland.
Over 100,000 people
take to the streets for this
huge celebration of freedom
for the country's queer people.
Every year, a week
before the main Pride event,
the city chooses a
street to be decked out
in bright Pride colors.
Today, in the
center of the city,
volunteers are preparing to
paint the busy retail street,
Bankastraeti with a
giant Progress Pride flag.
Among the volunteers
painting the street today is
queer educator
and activist, Mars.
MARS: We are painting
the street of Bankastraeti in
the Intersex-Inclusive
Progress Pride flag.
So we are not only focusing on
people who are gay or lesbian or
bisexual or have a
queer sexual orientation.
We're also focusing on
people who are intersex or
people who are trans
and people of color.
NARRATOR: The progress flag is a
Pride flag for the 21st century.
It adds new colors to
the Gilbert Baker rainbow.
The blue, pink and white
represent trans people and
gender diversity.
The black and brown stripes
represent people of color and
the yellow triangle and circle
represent intersex people.
Reykjavik's Progress Pride Flag
will be more than 250 feet long,
and cover one whole city block.
WOMAN: Hi.
(speaking in native language)
NARRATOR: As the
work gets underway,
from above, the street
begins to spring into color
the carefully crafted lines
a symbol of Iceland's
LGBTQ+ Pride.
Iceland is renowned for
its progressive politics.
In 2009 it elected the world's
first lesbian head of state.
Today, that spirit of
inclusivity is reflected in
the volunteers taking part.
MARS: It's not only
queer people themselves,
but also allies
and people that, like,
just want to
celebrate that show up.
And it's really family friendly.
And we have a lot of children
just running around everywhere.
It's really colorful.
NARRATOR: By mid-afternoon the
giant painted flag is complete.
From above, the stretches of
color are a bold addition to
Reykjavik's streets
and a great celebration of
Iceland's queer and
gender diverse people.
For some queer people,
who live in the most
progressive parts of the world,
every day can be an opportunity
to live out and proud.
Year-round visibility of
LGBTQ+ people is important and
makes Pride much
more than a march.
Our next stop
takes us to Germany,
and a ride with a famous
club of motorcycle enthusiasts.
This is the German
branch of the Dykes on Bikes,
a worldwide club
for lesbian bikers and
an iconic member of
the LGBTQ+ community.
Heike is the
president of the club.
HEIKE: The great thing
about Dykes on Bikes is,
first of all, the
sisterhood worldwide.
The solidarity as
a group, it's fantastic.
NARRATOR: It's a
sunny Sunday morning and
the group head off
on a 150 mile ride from
the heart of historic Cologne
to the rural Rhine River Gorge.
The Dykes on Bikes ride
each month of summer, the
club provides a community
and a sense of belonging.
And on today's trip,
they're inducting new members.
BEA: I was just trying to
find some women I can ride with.
Then, I saw the
Dykes on Bikes at Pride
and thought, "Hey, maybe
that's the right community,
we have the same background,
the same interests."
NARRATOR: The Dykes on Bikes
are an icon of LGBTQ+ heritage.
They formed in San Francisco
in the mid-1970s and have been
taking part in
Pride Parades for over 45 years.
The club now has chapters
right across the world.
Each year the bikers
rev up the crowds as
they lead many Pride
marches across the world.
From Canada's
largest Pride in Toronto
to Sydney Mardi Gras
where up to 300 bikes
light up the night-time parade.
In Germany, it's time
for the new riders to become
fully inducted members
of this famous club and
to wear their club
patches with pride.
(speaking German).
BEA: I'm feeling proud to be a
part of these really nice women
who also advocate
for great things,
especially regarding
lesbian visibility to be
a part of the group
is really, really nice.
NARRATOR: LGBTQ+ visibility
in some parts of the world is
celebrated against the
backdrop of snowy white...
(cheering)
NARRATOR: For queer
people the world over,
the opportunity to
marry the one we love is
an important step in equality.
In 2001 the Netherlands was
the first country in the world
to legalize same sex marriage.
Over two decades later,
in Europe, almost 20 countries
recognize same sex marriage.
In the Americas, there are
nine countries where people of
the same gender can live
in legally recognized union.
As of 2023,
same sex marriage is legal in
over 32 countries
across the world.
Our next Pride party is in
the first country in Oceania to
allow same-sex marriage.
New Zealand's
Southern Alps are some of
the highest
mountains in Oceania.
In the peak of Winter
this setting plays host to
a most unusual event.
Winter Pride.
The highlight of the week-long
festival is the Color Run.
It's a mountain Pride Parade.
Skiers dress in
bright rainbow colors and
all their Pride finery.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: It's an event that
Chinese-Australian Justin Song
has been looking
forward to all year.
JUSTIN: I'm very, very
excited about the Color Run.
It's going to lay the mark
and the whole mountain will
know that we are here.
NARRATOR:
New Zealand's Winter Pride
is the largest
Winter Pride Festival
in the Southern Hemisphere.
Alongside skiing,
park runs and partying,
the festival also helps raise
money for local queer charities,
including LGBTQ+
youth support groups.
MAN (over megaphone): Six,
five, four, three, two, one.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The
downhill run begins.
Filling the
mountains with Pride colors.
New Zealand is renowned
as a progressive place for
LGBTQ+ people to live.
As well as Winter Pride,
this small island nation has
over ten other Pride
events throughout the year.
CHELSEA: I feel safe here,
I feel like
everybody is accepting.
Whoo!
MAN: Woo!
WOMAN: I think New Zealand is
a really good place to be LGBT.
Be proud about who you
are and what you're about.
Which I think is the
ultimate goal really.
NARRATOR: After the
ten-minute downhill run
they arrive at the resort.
It's a special moment
for those taking part.
AARON: Seeing all those flags
going down that slope today
I'm super proud of that.
WOMAN: It was like
a ribbon of color.
It was so good I think it
kind of signified the unity.
NARRATOR: The Color Run
is over for another year.
For Justin, it's a
chance to reflect on
the meaning of Winter Pride.
JUSTIN: It makes me proud
of myself being who I am,
of my cultural
background or sexuality,
or just me as a person that
I can be the true myself and
release all that
energy on this mountain.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Not all countries
are as inclusive as New Zealand.
Across most of the world,
queer and gender diverse people
face persecution and
violence on a daily basis.
As of 2023, 67 countries
still criminalize homosexuality.
11 of those can
impose the death penalty
as punishment for being gay.
But glimmers of hope remain
for the people who live in fear.
In Sri Lanka,
despite oppressive laws,
nearly 50 brave
people walk through
the capital city of Columbo.
They march in solidarity to
raise awareness of their plight.
It's a small but
powerful statement of Pride.
Protests and
activism can bring change,
and there are some
nations that appear like
bright beacons of hope,
shining light on their
neighbors and leading the way,
to the future of Pride.
NARRATOR: Next, we travel
to an island in East Asia,
where queer people
enjoy more freedoms than
most others in the region.
Taiwan, its capital's Pride
is one of the largest in all
of East Asia and on a
rainy day it makes for
an extraordinary aerial view.
Sean Du is a local gay activist.
He became involved in LGBTQ+
activism as a university student
and helped organize Taiwan's
first Pride 20 years ago.
There were fewer than
800 fearless activists
at that first protest march.
SEAN: For the first Pride, uh,
people are really
nervous about it.
But now, you can see
that people are very happy.
And it's just like a reunion.
So, I can find
out a lot of friends.
Old friend, new friend.
We connect to each other.
NARRATOR: It's early morning
and Sean and his friends have
arrived at Taipei City Hall to
dress their float
in a mass of balloons.
The float promotes the Taiwan
Tongzhi Hotline Association.
The Hotline is the oldest queer
rights association in Taiwan.
It provides support to tens of
thousands of people each year.
Even in liberal Taipei,
coming out can be a challenge.
And it's vital the
float stands out so that
more people become
aware the Hotline exists.
They put the finishing
touches to the display of over
200 brightly colored balloons
transforming it into
a beacon of LGBTQ+ Pride.
(speaking in native language)
NARRATOR: The rain is
pouring down in Taipei today
but Sean hopes
his bright display
will bring a splash of
sunshine to the gloom.
SEAN: I hope the
weather would be better but
we cannot control it.
So I hope that people won't
be afraid because of weather.
Like more and more LGBcommunity and supporters can
all join us and to celebrate
and also to be our true self.
NARRATOR: After two hours,
the balloons are attached and
the float is ready to go.
From above, the
truck is a mass of color.
SEAN: I think that the most
beautiful float we have so far.
NARRATOR: It's 2:00 pm and
Taipei City Center fills with
tens of thousands
of colorful umbrellas,
as people brave the weather
to march for LGBTQ+ Pride.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Taiwan has a
history of youth led protests
and activism that have aided
the island's liberal stance of
homosexuality and
same sex relationships.
This year's parade has
been another massive success.
Thousands have seen
the Hotline's float.
And Sean hopes it will be a
lifeline to even more people on
their coming out journey.
(cheering)
SEAN: It's very proud for
me to stand on the float.
The first Pride was really hard.
And I cannot imagine that, okay,
so after 20 years,
we can have such big Pride.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: The next stop on
our Pride journey takes us
to Mozambique, where art is
making a stand for human rights.
The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress
is a living art work by
Dutch designers
Arnout van Krimpen,
Mattijs van Bergen, Jochem Kaan
and Oeri van Woezik.
The artwork has
travelled globally to
raise awareness
of LGBTQ+ rights.
The dress was displayed in
Mozambique's capital Maputo in
2022 as a way of drawing
attention to the continued fight
for rights across Africa.
From above, the dress,
which is over 2,000 square feet,
is a patchwork of
68 national flags,
and nine rainbow flags.
Each national flag
belongs to a country
that criminalizes LGBTQ+ people.
When a country ends
its discriminatory laws,
its panel will be
replaced with a rainbow.
When every queer person on Earth
is free of legal persecution,
the dress will be transformed
into a gown of rainbow colors.
Staying in Africa, there's
one nation that's pressing for
change across a whole continent.
NARRATOR: We end our
Pride adventure at an event
for the whole of Africa.
Each year LGBTQ+ visitors
from dozens of African nations
descend on the South African
city of Johannesburg.
Organizers need to work
through the night to set up
the infrastructure
for this massive influx.
It's the night
before it all kicks off and
the streets of
Sandton are quiet.
A fleet of trucks line up,
waiting to bring in
the array of stages,
stalls and tents that
will make up the event space.
At midnight the
street is closed and
ready to begin the preparations.
The person in charge of
this huge event is Kaye Ally.
KAYE: You know, the
setup is always very tricky.
It's always a race against time.
What we do, here we have
to do perfectly because it is
for our community
at the end of the day.
NARRATOR: The 100 people rigging
the site work against the clock.
They unload the trucks,
erect the barriers,
and set up the
entire event space.
KAYE: There's a
lot of responsibility.
But if Pride can make a
difference to anyone and
give anyone the
sense of family and
sense of belonging,
then it's all worth it
at the end of the day.
NARRATOR: The following morning,
the sun reveals the
fruits of their labors.
The stage rig is
nearly complete.
The rest areas
are ready to go and
the vehicles start
to clear the site.
A few hours later...
the Pride party
is in full swing.
(cheering)
Drunk in love
DUDUZILE: The atmosphere
today is exuberant fueled with
so much joy and happiness.
So much enthusiasm.
Charisma, we see bold people.
Different types of people.
There's so much.
(sighs)
So much fun.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Alongside the dancing,
Johannesburg Pride
includes a protest march
where thousands of people demand
freedom for all LGBTQ+ Africans.
THABO: I came to represent
other African queer activists
and other African queer,
queer people that are not here.
MAN: Yes, babe!
WOMAN: I live in Midrand but
I'm originally from Swaziland.
This is my first Pride,
so it's very exciting.
It's lovely to be here.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: Many call
Johannesburg Pride,
the Pride of Africa.
The first march took
place over 30 years ago,
but it remains one of the few
legal Prides on the continent.
(cheering)
LEBO: Pride of Africa would
definitely mean all the Africans
in the entire continent coming
together and standing firm for
what they believe in,
which is the Rainbow Nation,
the Queer Nation.
But also for being part of
the freedom that we deserve.
(cheering)
NARRATOR: As the sun sets on
a successful Johannesburg Pride
the party continues.
It offers hope to an
entire continent and
an entire world
who want to be free.
Our Pride aerial
adventure is at an end and
from across the world,
we come together with you and
all members of the
global LGBTQ+ community
in strength, unity and Pride.
ALL: Happy Pride!
(cheering)
Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.