The 27th annual Pride Day LGBT Parade and
Festival (www.phillygaypride.org )
was in Philly yesterday. What a blast!
I was in Philadelphia on Sunday at Thomas Jefferson
University getting my geek on with several other scientists in my field of
cytopathology – my other hat besides an erotic romance writer. I was attending
an ASCP (American Society for Clinical Pathologists) conference. Sounds
bor-ing, I know. But it’s good to stay up-to-date on new advancements in my
field. Just as it’s important for writers to continue to develop their writing
skills.
I had no idea about the Gay Pride Festival. I was up at
4 a.m. to drive to the train station in Doylestown. Little did we know while
sitting in on lectures, learning about gene mutations, techniques in biopsies,
molecular biology, the latest in cytogenetics and advances in cancer treatments,
crowds of people were packing the streets outside our building.
When we were let out for lunch, I noticed and asked
what was going on. Someone said the parade for Gay Pride was about to start.
Cool! Let’s check it out! I said, and a number of us did.
Costumes, or lack of, were outrageous, colorful,
skimpy, sexy, creative and entertaining. Love, loved it! Even a police SUV that
drove by had a huge rainbow colored flag trailing off the back. People on the
floats tossed colorful beads, candy, soda/beer koozies, etc. We went back in
for our afternoon session (reluctantly) decorated with our bling!
The first gay pride parade took place on June 28, 1970
in NYC to commemorate the Stonewall riots that occurred the year before. That’s
considered the beginning of the LBGT civil rights movement.
This parade and festival attracts over 25,000 people
each year. It was a lot of fun. Everyone in the parade and the spectators were
dressed festively and turned it into a fun, mardi gras-like event. I took some pictures to share.
Just
like one of the banners: The Best People Come in All Varieties
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