Baltimore Pride Parade draws a diverse crowd
Despite heat and the shadow of the Orlando killings, a strong turnout
Adorned with rainbow butterfly wings, fluorescent yellow shorts and multicolored hair, Jason Harder and Lance Garber of Westminster stood on Charles Street shirtless in the nearly 100-degree heat. Their reasoning, in one word: “Pride.” “The happiness and support of everyone — everybody’s so happy,” said Garber, 27, as candy, T-shirts, beaded necklaces and condoms rained down from floats on the street.
“It’s just about having a good time and just coming together as a community,” said Harder, 27.
The annual Baltimore Pride Parade, just one event of the eight-day Pride festivities celebrating the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, kicked off at the corners of Madison and Cathedral streets in Mount Vernon around 2 p.m. Saturday, bringing out community members, local organizations, drag queen beauties, marching bands, politicians and residents of all colors and creeds. The city’s Fire Department estimated that 10,000 people were in attendance.
Many onlookers sported colorful getups and rainbow flags along the parade route as local bands and dance troupes passed by behind city notables.
Among them were Democratic mayoral nominee Catherine E. Pugh, wearing a bright yellow dress and throwing beaded necklaces, and Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis with city officers waving to the crowd. Civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson — sans his signature blue vest — roamed the crowd early on.
“It’s amazing to see such a diverse group of people come together at a time when our country is like in total turmoil [and] that you see such a unified front,” said Tim “Chyno” Chin, 28, of Station North, who was easily spotted on the sidelines with his bright blue beard.
Harder, who makes it a point to attend every Pride parade, said he was nervous about the weekend’s schedule of events after 50 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June and the recent protest at Artscape, which resulted in 65 people being arrested.
“Last year, the riots happened right before Pride, and this year, with the things going on in Orlando ... I was a tiny bit nervous,” Harder said.
“But it was fine last year,” he said. “And I’m sure this year it will be, too. But if anything happened, I would hope people would be peaceful and just say what they want to say.”
Nearby, at least four people bore signs protesting the parade. “The Wicked Shall Be Turned to Hell,” and “God Will Bring You to Judgment,” they read.
Noel Watson Bellamy, 27, a transgender man from Cumberland, burnt sage while walking through the crowd — many within it wistfully grabbed at the smoke.
“I’m a pagan,” Bellamy said. “I’m just here to cleanse and raise the energy. There are already some haters.”
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, located steps away from the parade, hung a colorful “#LoveWins” banner on the side of its building. Volunteers and church members handed out bottles of water and rainbow gel pens in front of the church doors.
The Rev. Joe Wood, 27, the church’s assistant rector, said that though the church had marched in the parade in previous years, this was their most active role in the festivities.
“We wanted to make sure, to come out and show that, and not just keep that confined to Sunday, but to make sure that the larger community recognizes that we stand with them,” he said.
Wood, who identifies as queer, said that while the Episcopal Church has not always accepted the LGBTQ community, last year it approved same-sex weddings within the church and has accepted gay and transgender members of the clergy.
For Kenyatta Johnson, 20, it was an opportunity to bring her younger siblings — ages 4, 9, and 12 — for a fun and educational experience.
The three of them have learned about drag queen culture through the TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Logo TV, but they still have questions, she said.
“[My sister] said ‘There’s a man wearing a dress!’ and I said, ‘Yes, sometimes they do that,’ ” she said.
Above all, Johnson said the parade is a chance for people to come together. “It really means equality,” she said. “Everyone is welcome.”