All photography by Fernanda Liberti.
In recent years, Pride celebrations have come under fire for cashing in on the once-radical protest. As the momentous Stonewall riots commemorated its 50th anniversary this year, a never-ending stream of pinkwashed products—everything from Pride-themed sandwiches to MAGA Pride shirts—left the LGBTQ+ community in despair.
Amid all of this, the true joy and happiness of Pride can be lost, but luckily photographer Fernanda Liberti took to the sunny streets of Berlin on the 40th anniversary of Christopher Steet Day in the city to capture the celebrations in all their glittering glory, reminding us what this is really about. In this exclusive photo essay, the Berlin-based image-maker documented the colourful antics of last Saturday’s event as a heartening and necessary reminder that Pride still is a genuinely ecstatic and important celebration for so many.“As we see the rise of far right movements and queerphobia, I believe we still need as many allies as we can get,” says the photographer. “It’s important to remember that discussing whether Pride is commercialised or not is already such a big privilege in itself, especially when we think of the repression and violence that happens in many places in the world, most recently at Pride in Poland,” notes Liberti in response to the commercialisation of the event. Here, Liberti’s images beam with a shiny sense of glee and liberation, perfectly encapsulating the true spirit and significance of Pride.
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