Over the next two or three days, we’ll look back at the massive affirmation of corporate- and local-government-approved taboo-bustin’ that is the Gay Pride Parade. (The event’s actual name is almost as long as the event itself, so we won’t bother with it.)

We’ll let somebody else (Mr. Dan Savage, perhaps?) discuss whether there’s an intrinsically transgressive aspect to homosexuality and other “alt” sexualities, and hence whether a pride fest that welcomes banks, beer companies, city-council members, etc. contradicts said transgressive aspect, drawing “gender outlaws” into everyday mainstream society.

This year, as you might imagine, there was a renewed spirit of political activism at the parade, and it centered around lesbians and gay men demanding a certain ordinary mark of acceptance into everyday mainstream society, a marriage license.

Other messages were also conveyed by marchers, dancers, and others. Some messages called for religious tolerance. Others called for intolerance toward abusive relationships (a boy carried a sign that read “Abusive Priests Suck”).

And some messages expressed the one paramount lesson we all must heed this year.