Supreme Court Ruling Makes Pride Parades Historic, Jubilant
SAN FRANCISCO (KDKA/AP) - Rainbows and good cheer were out in force Sunday as hundreds of thousands of people packed gay pride events from Chicago to New York City, where the governor officiated at a wedding, just days after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made use of some newly granted powers by officiating at the wedding ceremony of a same-sex couple in Manhattan in front of the Stonewall Inn, where years ago gay bar patrons stood up to a police raid.
State law did not allow Cuomo to officiate at wedding ceremonies until last week. The authority to do so was granted as part of a slew of legislation passed days ago.
Friday in Pittsburgh, dozens of same-sex couples and supporters gathered for a celebrations in Shadyside.
"Thank you to the many plaintiffs both here in Pennsylvania and all over the United States. You and your families were very, very brave," said one of the speakers at the event. "Thank you to the lawyers, the marchers, and our straight allies."
This year, parades are taking on a more celebratory tone.
Nikita Lowery, 28, of Chicago says she decided to attend that city's parade for the first time this year. "I feel like it's a true celebration now," she said.
Organizers of San Francisco's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade, just called "Pride," expect about 1 million revelers. It will have 240 groups marching in the parade and more than 30 floats, its largest in 45 years.
"Every trailer in Nevada and California has been rented and brought in, including one from a farm in Northern California," said Gary Virginia, board president of San Francisco Pride. "I just think it's going to be magical this year."
That's because the U.S. Supreme Court issued on Friday a long-awaited ruling, giving same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states. Virginia's comments were echoed by leaders of Pride celebrations in other cities.
"It's going to be an epic weekend," said David Studinski, march director for New York City Pride. "I actually just wrote on Twitter that this is the most historic Pride march since the first."
New York City expects 22,000 people marching in a 2-mile route and more than 2 million people to visit throughout the day. The event is considered a march, Studinski said, because the movement still has much to accomplish.
At gay pride parades in Dublin, Paris and other cities Saturday, the U.S. ruling was hailed by many as a watershed.
"Soon in all countries we will be able to marry," said Celine Schlewitz, a 25-year-old nurse taking part in the Paris parade. "Finally a freedom for everyone."
In the Philippines, in India, in Australia and elsewhere, gay rights advocates think the decision may help change attitudes. It's is expected to have a ripple effect elsewhere.
Street celebrations were boosted Saturday in Dublin, where Ireland mounted the biggest gay rights parade in the country's history.
More than 60,000 people paraded at the culmination of a weeklong gay rights festival in the Irish capital. While the mood was already high following Ireland's referendum last month to legalize gay marriage - becoming the first nation to do so by popular vote - many marchers said the Supreme Court ruling provided a bonus reason to celebrate.
In Turkey, police used water cannons to clear a rally Sunday in Istanbul. Between 100 and 200 marchers were chased away from Taksim Square after a police vehicle fired several jets of water to disperse the crowd. It wasn't clear why the police intervened in the peaceful rally. The crowd regrouped a few blocks away.
Cuomo said New York played a role in getting same-sex marriage to the point where it was, by legalizing it in the state in 2011.
Pride festivities started to honor the 1969 Stonewall rebellion. In San Francisco, marchers took to Polk Street in 1970, and in 1972, the event became a parade, with an estimated 2,000 marchers and 15,000 spectators, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
This year's parade in San Francisco is using the theme "Equality Without Exception." The celebrity grand marshal is Rick Welts, president of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Speakers include Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Jim Obergefell, the named plaintiff in the landmark same-sex marriage suit decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Twin Cities, St. Petersburg and St. Louis also have planned events.
Seattle expects to draw nearly 500,000 parade watchers, said Eric Bennett, president of Seattle Pride.
"This is definitely going to be a momentous Pride weekend all over the country," he said. "It's just going to raise the celebration level of everybody who supports marriage equality."
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