Death Float, Gay Parade,

1991

Photographed from a low angle, this blurry snapshot captures a parade float on which a looming figure stands before a large pink triangle, the symbol used by the Nazis to identify homosexuals. The emblem was later appropriated by the gay community, and in the 1980s, it gained wide use by activists protesting the Reagan administration’s inaction on the AIDS crisis. Set against what is largely a celebratory pride parade, Cratsley’s photograph and the float serve as reminders of the ongoing struggle for equality and individual rights.