Phoenix Gay Pride Parade - 2014

    One last photo from the 2014 Phoenix Gay Pride Parade.  I'm on the left, in my uber-kewl Bob Marley t-shirt, and one of the parade participants on the right.  Can't tell you anything about him, but spontaneous interaction is common at the parade.

    One note - I am wearing my baseball cap backwards, not because it is youthfully trendy to do so.  Rather, the brim of the cap was getting in the way of the camera when I was snapping pics, so I reversed it.  Which did have the added benefit of giving the back of my neck some protection from the sun.

Phoenix Gay Pride Parade - 2014

    The weather was ideal, and for the first half of the 2014 Phoenix Gay Pride Parade, we were even standing in the shade right on the front row of the parade route.  It was the perfect welcome-back for us, since we've missed the previous three Pride Parades for a variety of reasons.

    The sun eventually rose high enough to take away our shade, but we still had a good time.  Shook hands with the mayor of Phoenix, plus a city councilman.

    I did notice the demographics had changed over the past four years.  There were less floats sponsored by gay bars, and zero GLBT entrants from other cities.  Las Vegas and Albuquerque used to always have a presence.

    OTOH, there were a lot more corporate sponsorships, churches, and schools with entries in the parade.  Hell, there was even a Mormon delegation.  It was particularly gratifying to see some High School entries.

    I took 220 pictures.  Liz took another hundred or so.  I doubt I'll put up a separate blog with the pics, as it would be a sh*tload of effort.  But it felt very, very good to be in attendance once again.

Phoenix Gay Pride Parade

When : Next Saturday, 05 April.  Starts at 10:00 AM

Where : 3rd Street, from Thomas to Indian School

Weather : Partly Cloudy; 70°F high, 54°F low; 10% chance of rain

    In other words, perfect weather to watch a parade!  We've missed the past couple years - one time it was almost 100°F; another time one of our dogs was fighting for her life at the Emergency Pet Hospital (she lived).  Before that, we had made it to the parade 3 years in a row.

    If you've never been to a Pride Parade, you don't know what you're missing.  It is absolutely wild, yet it's safe to take the kiddies to it.  It also strikes a blow for Gay Rights, and here in Arizona, bigotry runs rampant.

    So if you live in Arizona, cancel the rest of your plans for next Saturday, and attend the parade.  You won't regret it.

Phoenix Gay Pride Parade - Next Saturday

Just a quick reminder that the Phoenix Gay Pride parade is next Saturday, 21 April.  Liz and I had our string of three straight attendances snapped last year when our newly-acquired pup, Bella, became deathly ill.

    Parade starts at 10:00, and we will be customarily late, which we will circumvent by parking near the end of the parade route and watching it from there.  Liz will have her cell phone, and I will have my fancy schmancy camera.

   Fair warning - the weatherman is calling for something like 98°F for a high that day.  This past Saturday, the high didn't even hit 70°F.  Hey, Gay Pride folks!  You really need to schedule this a few weeks earlier in the year.

Mark your calendar!

The 2011 Phoenix Gay Pride is Saturday, 16 April @ 10:00 AM. It goes north on 3rd Street , from Thomas to Indian School. . It takes about 2 hours, and is the most interactive and kewlest parade you will ever see. This will be, IIRC, our fourth parade. .

Afterwards, take in the Gay Pride Festival at the park on Indian School & 3rd Street (the terminus of the parade). The festival runs all day Saturday and Sunday, so if you're "sunned out" after the parade, go home, get refreshed, and come back later.

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Besides being a good time, the weekend serves a more serious purpose - to take a stand against the bigots depriving gays of their equal rights. So strike a blow against Hatred, and show your support by attending the festivities!

Gay Pride Parade pics are up!

I took 238 pictures this year, mostly cuz I was trying out my new Canon camera. About 200 of the pics were of the parade; the rest were of the Pride Festival itself, which we attended for the first time ever this year. .

Besides these two photos, I've only posted 31 of the images from this year. Normally, I do 100 pics; but I chose to pare back this time. You can access them via My Profile, or click on the link here. Enjoy.

Pride Parade ... and Festival!

We made it to our fourth straight Arizona Gay Pride Parade today. In 89°F heat and no clouds in the sky. As usual, the "sisters" had a hug for Liz. . For the first time, we also attended the Gay Pride Festival. It was hot, crowded, and the vendors were charging "gouge" prices for everything. There were lots of strangely-clad people, and lots of making out. Joan Jett will be there tomorrow night for the closing act. The group Berlin will also be playing tomorrow. .

I'm completely knackered from all that sun. I took 238 photos with my new camera over the course of 5 hours, and the batteries held up until we were reviewing the pics. If I get my sh*t together, some of those pics will get posted on a separate blog. Lana would object if I posted them all.

Arizona Gay Pride Parade - 2010

The 2010 Arizona Gay Pride parade is ten days from now - Saturday, 17 April. Weather.com predicts 82°F for a high, and zero percent chance of rain. We will be there. Come join us for a fantastic, interactive experience. Below are some pics from last year, which I never did get around to posting. . The theme of the parade, and why I've attended three years in a row. .

A typical spectator. The majority of the crowd seem to be family and friends of gays, and gay couples who finally have an event they can attend without worrying about being harassed for their sexual orientation. .

A lot of the gay bars enter floats in the parade. The amount of effort they put into the float varies. This was one of the better ones. .

There are lots of bikers. And lots of cars, which also run the gamut from no decorations to lots of balloons and streamers and color. .

You have your share of flamers - both in the audience and in the parade. But overall, the parade is geared towards being a family event, suitable even for kids. The aim is to celebrate diversity, not weirdness.

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So make plans to attend today. If you don't live in Phoenix, find out when your nearby city has their parade. No one is free until everyone is free.