Sunday was the
42nd Annual Pride Parade and with the recent changes in Illinois approving civil unions and the great news out of New York allowing same-sex marriages, there was a sense of love, equality, and just pure happiness in the air. My friend/co-worker/favorite DJ, Jeff invited Pierre and I and we couldn't wait!
The Pride Parade takes place in
Boystown, the first officially recognized gay village in the US and is one of the largest LGBT communitites in the nation. Perched on the balcony overlooking Broadway Street, we had some of the best seats to watch the parade. Pride was, hands down the best parade I have ever been to and one of the best things I've seen and felt like I was a part of. No one is happier, overjoyed, and excited to be anywhere else than the Pride Parade in Chicago! Despite having 51 floats being vandalized, the parade started and stayed strong. Estimates are that over 750,000 people attended, breaking any previous record. It was an amazing experience and I cannot wait for Pride next year!
I hope you enjoy the photos of the floats, participants, and performers as much as I enjoyed seeing them!
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| Welcome to Pride! |
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| LGBT Parents of Chicago |
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| LGBT Military Members |
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| Chicago Cops |
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| Teacher Union |
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| Blowing bubbles for everyone! |
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| Dykes on Bikes, a crowd favorite. |
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| Packed, packed, packed! |
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| The daring girl across the street. |
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| People signing their 'Just Married' sign. |
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| Human Rights |
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| Cycling for AIDS |
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| Proud parents! |
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| Gay Cowboys of Chicago |
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| The couple across us getting down. |
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| Looking down Broadway Street. |
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| The flag on our balcony. |
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| More festive people on their balconies. |
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| Wizard of Oz themed. |
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| ¿Homo estas? |
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| Happy Pride from Jeff and me! |
While reading some of the reviews and articles of the Pride Parade, I found this gem! It's a photo from
WBEZ 91.5's float of us on the balcony!
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| We're on the third floor, in the shade. Courtesy of WBEZ 91.5. |
