Seattle Pride Parade

Gay people: they exist. And like many other prideful people, they celebrate with a parade. Seattle’s Out and Proud Parade gathers an estimated audience of 150,000 people (!), making it Seattle's second-largest parade behind the Seafair Torchlight Parade.

The parade was quite colorful, because let’s face it, the gay community practically has a trademark on the rainbow, which works out great in their favor, because you will not likely find a more colorful parade!

The parade was about as culturally-liberal as parades can get, but not really wild at all, and certainly not lewd, especially in comparison to the Fremont Solstice Parade, which makes the Pride Parade look like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Pride Parade is the perfect opportunity for other subcultures of society to get out there and show their own pride, like this Goth group . 

Best (random) statistic of the parade: Seattle is home to the 4^th largest Goth community. Haha. 

It was very commercial, as parades tend to be, but maybe even more so, motivated by two things: 1) Companies are garnering support from the large LGBT demographic as well as the parade attendees and 2) Companies are showing their pride while promoting their progressive, LGBT-friendly image.

For example, Microsoft was carrying signs that read "Marriage equality is good for business."  Because as far as tech-savy (gay-friendly) states go, it’s probably WA vs. CA, and there has been heavy competition between Silicon Valley and WA for a long time, with Google starting offices in the Redmond (and the extended Seattle) areas, with the specific intention of siphoning Microsoft employees. Other tech companies like Facebook have followed. Should one state legalize same-sex marriage over the other, there is the potential of talent-flight towards the more progressive state.

LGBT Presidential campaign posters... What's next? ... campaign posters advocating a black president? 

It was quite political as I expected, given the times. You may have noticed that gay rights have been a recent hot button political issue, with several recent occurrences making it the civil rights issue of today: the repeal of Don’t ask Don’t Tell,  the distancing of the Defense of Marriage Act,  the president’s opinion “evolving,” and battles waging  in several states where groups with slightly-confusing names like Preserve Marriage Washington and Washington United for Marriage are battling it out to see which group can deny the most happiness to the other group.

Given the political climate, just about every political group and government affiliation was represented (including republican groups).  Petitions for this and that were everywhere, as there are many interesting items on the Washington ballot this year.

I-502 is another fascinating ballot issue.
If passed Washington State would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana. They would also be legally bound to distribute it (like liquor at  liquor stores). 

There were many progressive Christian groups.

Obama will be getting all that "Gay Money" but I guess the election will decide if his coming out in support of the gay community will hurt the campaign more than it helps.

Romney's people were represented as well.  : ) 

Politicians of note who were in the parade: many departments of the City of Seattle, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn,  and Seattle City Council members riding Segways.

The parade was marshaled by Washington Governor  Christine Gregoire whose opinion evolved, and who recently signed the bill to allow same-sex marriage in Washington. That bill was petitioned to be put on hold, so same-sex marriage will be on the ballot this year in Washington.

There were even gay Stormtroopers.