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As thousands of colorfully dressed people proved as they marched through Old City into the Gayborhood on Sunday, Pride is back in the city of Philadelphia.

The march came after the implosion last year of Philly Pride Presents, the group that for three decade ran the annual event. After accusations of racism and transphobia ripped it apart, a new group of activists came together to try to create something new. One of the mandates of the reborn celebration was that it not involve police — and the goal was largely met.

After speakers began the event next to Independence Mall, the PHL Pride March kicked off at 5th and Arch streets after a two-year hiatus. It was the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in Philly, and it came at a time when solidarity was welcome and needed.

Over the past year, there have been a record number of anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans laws introduced in various U.S. states, putting many members of the community in a state of uncertainty and fear that their rights to live as their authentic selves could be stripped away. At one point, the Philly march passed a small group of people shouting anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans rhetoric, but the teeming crowd did not waver.

Instead, they celebrated their identities and embraced who they are, while coming together as one.

Scroll down for photos from the welcoming, inclusive event.