San Francisco’s Pride Month celebrations concluded Monday with the traditional Pride Parade, immediately followed by a unique Disinfectant Parade.
The Disinfectant Parade featured street sweepers, janitors, and crime scene cleaners dressed in full HAZMAT suits. They marched alongside a band playing loud trumpets, designed to mask the sounds of heavy cleaning machinery.
One participant in the Disinfectant Parade commented, “Ugh, gross… but hey, happy Pride!” as they navigated through large piles of dirty and potentially infectious parade waste.
As the festivities continued, the vibrant rainbow colors of Pride gradually gave way to the blue hues of barbicide disinfectant and the pale greenish-yellow of bleach. Experts say this intense cleaning is essential to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections and common bacteria often found after Pride events.
“This year’s parade really left a mess,” said Bart Martin, the Disinfectant Parade Grand Marshal. “We’re definitely going to need more disinfectant.”
Many spectators camped out for days to witness the Disinfectant Parade, eager for the city to be thoroughly cleaned. “I just want to be able to walk outside without worrying about catching something like Monkeypox,” shared one local resident.
Despite its purpose, the Disinfectant Parade faced criticism and accusations of homophobia for its cleanup efforts on Castro Street.