Berlin’s first drag march brings protest, pride and flamboyant celebration to the streets

BERLIN (AP) — Drag queen Sister Daphne OSPI pushed aside her pink veil, fluttered her long purple eyelashes and raised her hands to bless the crowd at Berlin’s first drag march.

She was among the organizers of Friday afternoon's event, which served as the opening act for one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected Saturday to join Berlin's pride parade, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day.

“Every step is a declaration, every kiss an act of revolution, every wig is a war cry,” she said as some 500 drag queens, drag kings and LGBTQ+ supporters cheered before marching and dancing through the city to the music of the Transophonix brass band.

The band played “Das lila Lied,” or “The Lavender Song,” an anthem of the gay rights movement from the 1920s, as performers in high heels, glittering dresses and flamboyant makeup passed the Reichstag parliament building and continued to the Brandenburg Gate.

“We’re combining protest and resistance with joy and celebration,” Sister Daphne said. "That’s what makes us so unique and that’s also what makes our demonstrations so popular.”

Berlin's annual Pride celebration commemorates the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York, which began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village.

Sister Daphne belongs to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ+ group made up mostly of people who dress flamboyantly as nuns. She said she was delighted that hundreds attended the march and that more and more joined as it moved through Berlin.

The organization was founded in San Francisco in 1979, and its German branch was established in 1991.

“Usually, we sisters are out and about in the nightlife scene, handing out safer-sex materials and collecting donations for people affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as for queer projects," Sister Daphne said. “Or we’re out at Pride parades, all over the country — across Germany, and sometimes even throughout Europe.”

On Friday, Sister Daphne had a wide smile on her face, which was painted white, as she raised her left fist in a gesture of protest and pride.

“It brings me incredible joy to get ready, put on my makeup and get into the right mindset,” she said. “I really enjoy being out and about the way I am.”

Sister Pia, left, Sister Daphne, second right, and Sister Clementia of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, pose in front of the German parliament building the Reichstag Building during the first Drag March on the eve of the Pride Parade in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Sister Clementia of the German chapter, OSPI, of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, enjoy the sun prior to the first Berlin Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

From left, Sister Pia, Sister Clementia and Sister Daphne of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, arrive at a train station for the first Berlin Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Sisters Pia, left, Sister Daphne, second right, and Sister Clementia, right, of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, attend the first Berlin Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Sister Daphne of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) attends the first Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The United States announced Friday it will begin reopening the border to Mexican cattle imports on Aug. 24, more than a year after it imposed the measure due to the spread of the New World screwworm in Mexico.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the reopening of cattle imports from Mexico will begin at the Douglas, Arizona border crossing, which borders Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state.

The statement said the necessary steps will be taken for the subsequent reopening of the Santa Teresa and Columbus border crossings in New Mexico, without specifying dates.

Despite the ban, the screwworm was detected last month in Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where more than 30 cases have been reported to date.

In Mexico, the screwworm outbreak was detected in November 2024 and has spread to 29 of the country’s 32 states. Currently, there are 1,792 active cases, according to official figures.

The parasite, a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly, attacks warm-blooded animals, including humans.

U.S. authorities said imports of Mexican cattle will be subject to compliance with a joint action plan, and the animals will undergo inspection in the U.S. to prevent the entry of screwworm larvae.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a message on social media that she was notified of the measure in a letter sent by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, adding that Mexico will accelerate its efforts to be ready to resume the movement of cattle through Sonora and subsequently through the border state of Chihuahua, where five cases of screwworm were recently reported.

Sheinbaum said the measure is an example of “dialogue, cooperation, and collaboration with mutual respect between Mexico and the United States.”

Rollins, in the U.S. statement, said it is now safe to reopen the crossing through Arizona.

The Mexican livestock sector estimates that the suspension led to multimillion dollar losses.

A calf is held in a head gate during veterinary checks at a ranch that supplies livestock for export to the U.S., in Zamora, northern Mexico, Monday, July 28, 2025, as the U.S. border remains closed to Mexican cattle imports because of screwworm concerns. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)