36TH S.F. GAY PRIDE PARADE: Huge celebration of pride

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 26, 2006 | Simone Sebastian and Demian Bulwa

[Zender500]

Bull-riding cowboys, pirates dressed in pink and pit bulls in rainbow-colored tutus filled Market Street among the 200 groups that left no societal convention unscathed Sunday in San Francisco's 36th annual Pride Parade and Celebration.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators jammed downtown sidewalks and reached over police gates to score multicolored beads and candy that parade participants threw into the cheering crowd.

"I'll show you my breasts!" 22-year-old Riley Fitzgerald called out jokingly in an effort to get a beaded necklace to match the pink one wrapped around his wrist.

Fitzgerald, an emergency medical service volunteer with a perfect view of the parade from a Muni platform on Market Street, cheered loudly as Mayor Gavin Newsom's Mardi Gras-themed group passed.

"I am soaking up this parade. I am so stoked," he said with candy overflowing from his fanny pack, which also carried Band-Aids, gauze and sunscreen. "I feel like I'm able to participate and contribute to the continuity of this."

People poured out of BART and Muni stations and climbed onto streetlight poles and newspaper stands for better views. Others peered from hotel and apartment windows, waving rainbow flags or dancing -- one man in his underwear -- to the marching bands' music.

Bare breasts and pierced chests spotted the parade, which spanned more than a mile from Beale to Eighth streets.

As always, the Dykes on Bikes women's motorcycle group led the procession.

"The Dykes on Bikes are where it's at," former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown said as he hurried into position before the parade started. "That's what you want to see."

"The color is just incredible," Brown said, scanning the sea of performers in front of him. "The Lord has blessed us."

[50sDad]

Little boy at the back of the crowd:

"Excuse me...I hate to be the one who points out what others don't seem to see, but um...they're proud of being cross-dressing, fruity little sexual deviates?"

[Rummyfan]

The color is just incredible," Brown said, scanning the sea of performers in front of him. "The Lord has blessed us."

I don't think The Lord considers this a blessing.

[Izzy Dunne]

First one to post pictures gets their beeber stuned.

[OldFriend]

Celebrating perversion, one sick act at a time.

[Izzy Dunne]

"A big part of gay life is sex"

Thanks for that bulletin.

[cdga5for4]

They televised the Chicago "parade." It was covered heavily on all of the evening news broadcasts. The CBS affiliate had its own float. The NBC female anchor was dancing on another. The Republican candidate for governor was also on a float.

[facedown]

First one to post pictures gets their beeber stuned.

Nah nah nah nah nah.

[Jameison]

San Francisco = The modern Sodom and Gomorrah.

It might do these perverts some good to remember what happened that particular denizen of sin.

[bevlar]

Marching dildo's, blatant sex acts.....yes, just the kind of parade you want to take your family to view.

America just gets sicker each day.

I agree with the poster who said this is NOT a Blessing.

[AD from SpringBay]

I wonder if the parade route included a tour of the local AIDS ward? Or maybe some late-term AIDS patients were included in the parade? They could have been pushed along in their wheel chairs for the crowds to see.

[madprof98]

Ah, yes, the FAMILY:

David Duffy, a 45-year-old Pacifica resident, brought his partner and a double stroller carrying their sons -- Caiden, 2, and Ethan, 7 months. They walked with Our Family Coalition, which represents more than 500 Bay Area families. One member carried a sign that read "Focus on your own damn family."

[mrs tiggywinkle]

"The Lord has blessed us." (Mayor Willie Brown)

Oh dear God...

[Carry_Okie]

Marching dildo's, blatant sex acts.....yes, just the kind of parade you want to take your family to view.

In order to teach them what evil really looks like, how far these people will go, and why to avoid having anything to do with them.

[Psycho_Bunny]

"Hey, let's have a parade about what we do with our sex organs!"

[Junior_G]

These articles never seem to mention what the Pride parade even is. Pity the poor soul who only realizes after attending that it is a celebration of homosexuality.

[GOPJ]

Isn't it odd how all the "gun rights" threads have disappeared - stories about gun control are nonexistent? Does that have anything to do with the discovery that gun control stories work against liberals? Gun control dropped beneath the radar of the MSM.

And at the same time all the gay threads have appeared - and endless "gay" stories in the newspapers. Could it be that gay stories "work" for democrats? Maybe help with the funding and emotional bonding of liberals? Gay stories are on the radar... And we get more of them.

Are there more gay people than there were two years ago? Or maybe less gun crime than five years ago? Nope. One issue brings in cash for dems, one issue doesn't.

[The Lumster]

"The Dykes on Bikes are where it's at," former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown said as he hurried into position before the parade started. "That's what you want to see."

Speak for yourself bucko!

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

I would love to see stats on how many boys homosexuals (men) adopt verses girls. It would be interesting.

[Right Wing Assault]

OK, great. You are proud to be what you are. So do you have to tell us every year till the end of time? We know some of you claim to be proud. Message heard long ago.

Now that you are proud, how about giving us back the damn rainbow you clowns hijacked years ago. That was a slimy move. Straight people who like rainbows can't use them anymore. "Hey, kids, let's draw a rainbow. Uh, on second thought..."