While many shops in the center of town kept their doors closed and ticos filed into cathedrals to observe Sunday mass, a different kind of ceremony began at Paseo Colón, a block in the west end of Costa Rica's capital of San José—this year's national LGBT pride parade.Costa Rica doesn't come to mind when thinking of countries advocating for the queer community. About the size of West Virginia, and in some parts equally conservative, the country still lags behind its North American neighbors in issues such as marriage equality and reproductive justice. But San José acts as a haven for the alternative, populated by university students with sleeves of black ink and home to branches of gay-friendly corporations like Accenture. It serves as the core of the country's vibrant LGBT community.
Advertisement
Costa Rica's pride parade, or la marcha de la diversidad, drew thousands of folks from all over the country this past Sunday. Already defined by seemingly endless street art, the city became even more colorful with the addition of drag queens, leather men, traditional dancers, and marchers with their decorated pups in tow. Pura vida (Spanish for "pure life"), the motto most often associated with Costa Rica, took on new meaning, letting the pride participants experience an unvarnished glimpse into a life of queer acceptance.Read more: Photos** of Women in Nepal Exiled for Being on Their Period**
