On Friday, June 26, history was made in the US. The Supreme Court ruled that bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional and that same-sex married couples will receive all the same benefits of marriage like heterosexual married couples. Only two days afterwards, the Pride Parade in NYC went all out. Even though the day wasn't very bright or beautiful, the energy of the crowd was palpable and almost no one could deny that the queer community deserved this victory for a long time. There are and always will be those who refuse to move forward with society.
While watching the parade and enjoying all the costumes, colors, and smiles that everyone in the crowd and parade had, I noticed a trend that bothered me a bit. I began to see more and more brand floats. On one hand, it's good that brands support the queer movement by having a float with their employees; but on the other hand, some of the companies seemed to be doing it because it's good business. Showing support in the form of a float with people wearing their shirt shows that the company has integrity and will garner support and business from those who like their stance on the issue, regardless of whether or not the company actually agrees with the movement.
Don't get me wrong; this wasn't the case for every float. One good example of a float that did a bit of advertising but still clearly showed that they care for the Pride Parade and what it celebrates was Netflix. Netflix showcased 4 shows that they've produced over the last 2 years, and almost all of the shows involve one or many characters that are gay, transgender, or bisexual. Netflix has shown continued support and care for the queer movement, and they only displayed shows which furthered that message.
Meanwhile, Telemundo felt like they were there to be there. They rolled this big van with banners advertising 4 morning shows that they provide and not much else really. The stark difference between how Telemundo and Netflix presented themselves really made me start to look more closely at the commitment that these companies actually have to the Pride Parade and what it stands for or whether the parade was merely an easy advertising opportunity.
Overall I was happy to see the banks really coming out and marching massive colorful floats down the street. Sure, they had their logo and slogan placed clearly on the float with huge letters, but they also handed out flags, wristbands, and seemed to put a bit more care into their presentation. 
Then there was the Mercedes-Benz "float." All they had was a red hoodless car and a blue off-road car with "Mercedes-Benz New York" printed on the side. No real effort to show support except to drive their pretty car down the road. 
While I can gripe about whether or not business took advantage of the parade as an advertising opportunity, everyone there showed an outstanding amount of support and clearly cared. People were lined up along Fifth Avenue as far as I could see, and every single one of them (save for the protesting orthodox) were cheering and screaming with pure excitement. Being in a crowd like that and feeling the love are really what matters in the end, regardless of the floats and performers.
What would the Pride Parade be without gay Jesus?