On Sunday June 24, 2012, I attended my first Pride Parade. Actually, that may not be entirely true. I remember attending a pride event in Seattle way back in 1979. But recently I received an invitation from my employer, Seattle Public Schools, to ride with them on their school bus, and since my younger son came out four years ago at age fourteen, I felt even more duty bound to attend and bring him with me. I never found where the bus was loading, so my son and I attended as spectators instead. This turned out to be a good thing. This way I got to see all the participants and take great pictures.
Though I’ve never been to a true pride parade, I’ve attended many parades in my life, but this one has to be the most fun, most colorful, and certainly most entertaining parade I’ve ever had the privilege to witness.
Many local businesses and organizations participated. Boeing Employees Credit Union handed out pride bead necklaces. WNBA team, Seattle Storm, had a car with mascot Doppler riding on the roof. Other businesses included Group Health, Macy’s, Amazon, Expedia, Starbucks and Microsoft. Even the old cartoon characters Gumby and Pokey were marching. I never would have guessed when watching that cartoon as a young child, that Gumby and Pokey supported equality. They have gone one step up in my admiration of them.
Alaska Airlines drove by with acrobats doing flips in the street. Del’s Truck Rentals drove by with scantily clad and very colorful people dancing. Batman zoomed past me several times on roller skates. Even big corporations like Wells Fargo were present with their famous stagecoach. Although I’m pleased Wells Fargo is making it known they stand for equality, it does not forgive the fact that they don’t pay taxes or illegally foreclose on people’s homes. Their dancers in sparkly red cowboy hats were amazing.
Rat City Roller Girls skated past. Seattle Children’s Hospital displayed a large banner, as did Cupcake Royale who carried a banner saying, Legalize Gay Cupcakes.
A couple leather companies marched by, with one dude wearing buttless leather chaps who grabbed a spectator’s camera, snapped a picture of his crotch, and handed the camera back to its owner, much to the amusement of those watching.
The highlight for me had to be the cyclists. Many of them were nude, some were nude but wore body paint, and some wore elaborate costumes. They rode in circles, then lined up and waved to the crowd, before cycling off to join the rest of the parade succession.
Seattle Public Schools came by next in their yellow school bus with two teachers walking in front, one of whom wore a t-shirt that said, Out and Proud Teacher. His companion had a matching shirt but with husband of added to the original statement.
What surprised me most was the sheer volume of church groups participating. I’ve known there were many churches and religions not subscribing to the hate that seems so prevalent amongst many religious groups, but there were dozens of religious groups of various denominations marching. There were Episcopalians, Methodists, Buddhists and even Catholics and Mormons supporting equality. The Quakers and Unitarian groups were expected. Those two groups have a long history of acceptance and tolerance.This had to surprise me the most.
Possibly one of the most fascinating was the group calling themselves Gothic Pride Seattle. They were dressed in Gothic clothing, led by a big black hearse sporting a license plate saying Elvis. At the back of this group was a white hearse. In between were marchers dressed in macabre outfits including a few gory zombies.
Another group of note was Doctors Against Circumcision. This included someone dressed as a penis with the foreskin tied off in preparation for snipping. Someone dressed as a nurse marched by wielding an extra large pair of scissors and was followed by a doctor in a power scooter holding forth a bloody cleaver.
There were rugby teams playing rugby in the street. There were theater troops, one of which came dressed in Rocky Horror costumes singing “The Time Warp.”
Unions and labor groups participated, some carrying signs saying, Stop the War On Workers. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation marched as did a Free Bradley Manning group carrying signs saying, Whistle Blowing Is Not A Crime.
Seattle Police drove a convoy of police cars from different eras. Perhaps they’re trying to polish their tarnished image, but I’m glad they came out openly in support of our GLBT citizens.
Several comic book heroes marched including a nude Captain America (this was my son’s favorite).
Another surprise was Bill Finkbeiner for Lt. Governor. He’s a republican. It’s rare these days to see a republican candidate coming out in support of LGBT. My hat is off to him. I really didn’t know there were any moderate or non-bigoted republicans left. They’re a rare breed for sure.
The three-hour parade ended with a group holding flat a huge rainbow flag that must have been at least half a block long.
This may have been my first Pride Parade, but I doubt it will be my last. I had a blast! This was the most colorful, wildest, craziest event I’ve ever witnessed.
