This week's rulings by the Supreme Court in favor of gay rights coincide with gay pride week, which is being kicked off this weekend with parades being held in major cities across the country. And it doesn't stop there. The international community is embracing gay pride too, with countries around the world hosting their own huge parades.
In the United States, the biggest parades taking place are in New York, N.Y.; San Francisco, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; Houston, TX; Seattle, Wash.; and St. Petersburg, Fla. Worldwide, bragging rights for the biggest gay pride parades go to London, England; Paris, France; and Dublin, Ireland.
Here are the details on what's taking place, when and where:
In New York City, which hosted its first gay pride parade in 1970, this year's 43rd annual march takes place on Sunday June 30 at 12:00pm. The parade beings at 36th St. and Fifth Avenue and ends at Christopher and Greenwich Streets.
According to the NYC Pride Web site, the march "has become an annual civil rights demonstration. Over the years its purpose has broadened to include recognition of the fight against AIDS and to remember those we have lost to illness, violence and neglect."
In San Francisco, up to as many as 1.5 million revelers are expected at the city's 43rd annual parade and celebration, according to a report from Mercury News. The parade is scheduled for Sunday June 30 at 10:30am. It will kick off at Market and Beale and end at Market and 8th Street in the downtown area.
The 44th annual Chicago Pride Parade, which attracted over 850,000 people last year, is slated to start at noon and will feature as its grand marshal Wade Davis, the openly gay former NFL superstar. NBC News Chicago reports that the parade will begin at the corner of Broadway and Montrose, will continue south on Broadway, then head south on Halstead to Belmont. From there, the parade will head east on Belmont, return south on Broadway and will finish up going east on Diversey to Cannon Drive.
Houston's LGBT Pride Celebration this year features a festival and a parade, taking place on Saturday June 29 with the festival scheduled from 1:00-7:00pm and the parade beginning at 8:00pm. According to the Pride Houston Web site the parade draws more than 325,000 attendees and features more than 100 organizations and businesses supporting the Houston LGBT community. The parade is held along Westheimer Road between Dunlavy and Montrose Blvd.
Seattle Pride will host its 39th annual Pride Parade on Sunday June 30 at 11:00am. Lasting two and a half hours, the parade kicks off at 4th Avenue and Union Street and will proceed north down 4th Avenue to Denny Way, according to the official Web site.
Florida's biggest gay pride parade in St. Petersburg, St. Pete Pride celebrates its 11th year on Saturday June 29. The parade starts at 10:00am, runs until 4:00pm and is expected to draw over 150,000 people, the Miami Herald reports. The parade takes place along Central Avenue through the Grand Central and Historic Kenwood neighborhoods. According to a report from the Tampa Bay Times, St. Pete Pride Executive Director Eric Skains believes attendance, which increased by 25 percent from last year, was due to a celebratory response to the Supreme Court rulings.
"It's a step in the right direction, finally," event staffer Chad Henderson said of the rulings.
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