Gay pride parade florida 2016
Shortly after the parade ended, a downpour began and police evacuated the area due to weather, sending everyone home safe. One sign read, “Broward’s Law Enforcement Has Your Back!†Attendees responded by thanking security again and again. It was apparent that they wanted people to feel safe. Police and emergency response teams could be found…everywhere, from protection outside the parameter to participation in the parade. Multiple stages hosted entertainment, food and drinks were bountiful, and strangers embraced each other in heartfelt hugs.
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Ominous clouds and short rain bursts did not deter the crowd that gathered under the many large tents lining the street or under umbrellas cheering the parade participants on until the very end. The air was weighted with heavy thoughts, genuine pride and humidity. The parade began with 49 silent marchers holding signs bearing the names of the 49 victims of the Orlando shooting. The themes were clear: #lovewins, #weareorlando, #oneorlando, #orlandopride, #loveislove, #prayfororlando, #change, #orlandounited and #Pulse. “Hate will not win,” said Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick.
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Signs of outrage, sadness and support could be seen in hashtags that decorated most floats, cars, shirts, chests and many rears. Many involved in this year’s Stonewall Pride have close personal ties with Pulse, gay Orlando and those directly impacted by the massacre. On the brink of this horrific lgbt attack in Orlando, funerals continue and many victims remained hospitalized, but it appears the need for unity and solidarity has won over the expected fears that targeted LGBTQ attacks like this may continue. This event commemorates the historical gay rights movement during the 1969 riots in New York City at the Stonewall Inn and this year it also served as a memorial to victims of the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in OrlandoĪ week ago the world became mortified when hearing the news of the largest mass shooting in U.S.
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The City of Wilton Manors hosted the 17th Annual Stonewall Parade and Street Festival on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Saturday, June 18, 3pm-11pm - Wilton Drive, Wilton ManorsĪround 40,000 people gathered on Wilton Drive on Saturday to show signs of unity, support and love for the LGBTQ community.