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Orlando Victims Honored At Pittsburgh Pride Equality March

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It was a day to celebrate cultural diversity and inclusion.

The annual Pittsburgh Pride Equality March brought record crowds to the streets and 130 organizations supporting the LGBTQ community.

"This is a strong, huge statement that the LGTBQ community wants to be treated with dignity and respect," said Christine Bryan with the Delta Foundation.

But the joy and enthusiasm of the final PrideFest event took on an air of sadness, the parade stopped briefly to remember the victims of the shootings in Orlando.

This year the theme of the Equality March was "Together We Are Stronger." That theme has an even broader meaning.

"I think if you look around you see people of all shades -- black, white, straight and gay, Jewish and Christian, they all here together saying "together we are stronger." And we pay homage to the families of the victims in Orlando," said Candy Castleberry Singleton, CEO of Dignity & Respect.

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"When one of us is harmed, it's an in justice to us all and we just have to recognize we are in this together," said Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay.

Chief McLay joined Mayor Bill Peduto, county executive Rich Fitzgerald and other dignitaries in the march. Chief McLay said the Bureau is already feeling the affects from the shootings in Orlando.

"It ups the ante for us, we have every cop we could scrounge today to make this event safe," he said.

People attending the parade worry the shootings are a sign of growing hatred.

"This country has become so divided by hate, we just cant let it happen anymore," said Alan Stevens.

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