Sat 8/8
Unlike June 26, the original date for the annual Cleveland Pride Parade & Festival, August 8 — the rescheduled date dawned fair and sunny. And a diverse cross-section of Cleveland’s was more than ready to celebrate. It seemed like the only ones missing in action were the usual protesters who gather by the Free Stamp to promote their form of exclusionary religion.
In fact, the most numerous delegations in the parade were churches of various denominations, ranging from Episcopal to UCC to Unitarian-Universalist and even a Spiritualist Church. They joined delegations from area businesses such as hotels, insurance companies and banks, and those from LGBT and LGBT-friendly organizations for a parade as large as the originally scheduled one.
It ended up at the festival site at Voinovich Park, where thousands of people ate, drank, danced, listened to music, shopped, socialized and picked up information from organizations such as the AID Taskforce and NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. Some proved more popular than others — Planned Parenthood was mobbed, while the Log Cabin Republicans didn’t attract much traffic.
The crowd was young and old, male and female, gay, trans and straight, black and white and Asian — and everyone was celebrating. Rainbow capes, tutus, outrageous hats and other creative attire made the festival a photographer’s feast.
View the PHOTOSTREAM here.
