450K turn out for Chicago Pride parade
This year's Chicago Pride Parade marked the 40th anniversary of the Windy City's celebration and was among the biggest yet. An estimated 450,000 turned out on Sunday to watch the two and a half hour-long festivities in the heart of Boystown.
The parade featured a diverse lineup of roughly 250 organizations, businesses and politicians - some familiar and some new - marching under a bright sun on what could only be described as a perfect day. Grand Marshal Alexandra Billings, a transgender actor and activist, kicked-off the parade. She waved at the throng of onlookers assembled along the packed and newly barricaded sidewalks. Others gazed down upon the spectacle from their balconies and windows.
A number of the parade's entries turned heads and elicited wild responses from the masses. A group of parents and families representing the Nettlehorst Elementary School marked the first time a Chicago Public School participated in the Pride festivities. Congressman Mike Quigley, state Reps. Sara Feigenholtz, Deborah Mell, Julie Hamos and Rep. Greg Harris were among the politicos who took part in the march.
The Gay Liberation Network, TransAction and Equality Illinois were among the activist groups sprinkled among the glitz and gay anthems that reminded us of the political roots of the day. They used megaphones, banners and chants to demand equal rights. Groups representing both Democrats and Republicans were also represented.
And, of course, a number of the most notable entries stood out for minimal costuming, presenting perhaps the only sign of the recession: Lower budget, less body coverage. Onlookers did not seem to mind. A mermaid-themed float from Roscoe's Tavern, a "Walk Like an Egyptian" salute from the Illinois Lottery, a feline-friendly entry from Spin Nightclub and the always enjoyable Illinois Gay Rodeo Association were among the best of the scantily-clad division.
Beyond the showers of rainbow confetti, the innumerable go-go boys and the fabulously head-dressed and platform shoe-wearing drag queens, however, had the most impact. As incredible of a display as the parade participants put on, the day's true grandeur was discovered not as one looked out on the parade route, but instead as one looked to the side at those comprising the assembled crowds.
They were mothers and fathers who had accompanied their children, young and old, to embrace diversity. Groups of friends, neighbors and co-workers smiled gleefully--albeit, perhaps owing partially to the water bottles of "juice" in their hands--as they took it all in. Bus passengers en route to the parade sang "I Will Survive." Lovers--young and old--held each other's hand without fear of objection. And for many who do not call a gayborhood home, Sunday was the one day a year they could do so.
Pride was noisy, boisterous and dirty, as the streets piled with garbage by the parade's mid-afternoon end attested. The "porta potty" lines were stammering while the crowds were stifling; making it difficult to move or see much of anything, at times. But above all, the day encapsulated exactly what its title would suggest, and it seemed as though most everyone was having a gay 'ole time.
For queer Chicagoans, it was extremely powerful to look around and see tens of thousands of their neighbors and supporters assembled in one place at one time, standing in the face of an all-too-often disconnected and fractured community. One can only hope that attendees carried on the message of togetherness and love that echoed through the streets to their everyday lives - inspiring others to feel pride, support those around them and enact change.