Powerful. On Thursday, millions of New Yorkers and countless other viewers at home turned up and tuned in to watch the 91st annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which, this year, featured more openly LGBTQ balloon characters than ever before.

This kind of representation is so importantespecially after last year’s parade, which heavily featured heterosexual icons like Paddington Bear and the notoriously homophobic Libertarian podcaster Felix the Cat. We live in a world where queer and trans youth are, from a young age, taught that they cannot grow up to be balloon characters in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We teach them to shrink themselves, to make their dreams smaller. They can have ambition, but not too much. Perhaps they can become a balloonicle. Maybe even a trycaloon. We teach these kids that they cannot be balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the way that their cis, straight peers can. By the time they grow up, they believe it themselves.

That’s why what Macy’s did matters. By including more out LGBTQ balloons in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy’s has broken the chain so that this toxic cycle might not continue for another generation. They sensed an injustice and said, “Not today.” They saw a snake eating its own tail and were like, “Can you not??” Macy’swelcome to the #resistance.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade featured more openly LGBTQ balloons than ever before. Here’s everyone’s favorite fisting top techno circuit daddy, the Red Ranger.

And, of course, our fave bisexual educator and third or fourth fave bossy bottom, the Elf on the Shelf.

Well, steal our Christmas and call us your little slut bitches! It’s our no. 1 hard femme domme top, the Grinch.

He’s not gay as in happy but queer as in lives in a pineapple under the sea: It’s Spongebob Squarepants!

Oh, wow! Look at heteroromantic gray ace vlogger Charlie Brown go!

She’s here! She’s queer! She believes trans women are women! It’s Olaf from Frozen.

And last but not least, the Pillsbury Doughperson.

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock our articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated