This past Sunday, June 26, 2016, marked the 47th Annual Chicago Pride Parade. This event has celebrated and signified the importance of the LGBT community, more specifically gay rights, by hosting a parade throughout the streets of Chicago, IL.
During the parade, floats sponsored and run by different groups serve as the main form of entertainment. However, there are also several performances by different artists on four main stages as well. Attendees typically dress in bright colored clothing and accessories while showcasing signs and flags, most commonly containing rainbow designs. In the LGBT community, rainbows are used to to symbolize gay rights, with each color of the rainbow holding a certain significance.
According to several sources, “Chicago Pride” has become one of the largest and most famous gay pride events in the world. Additionally, while Chicago Pride has never lacked in attendance or enthusiasm, this year’s festivities maintained exceptional community prowess and spirit. Furthermore, the parade also showcased the strength and support of and by the community after the Orlando Nightclub Shooting that occurred exactly two weeks prior to Sunday’s parade. The tragedy has caused a ripple effect of charity to the friends and families of the victims. It has also encouraged positive reinforcement of gay rights by others outside of the LGBT community after details of the events received overwhelming publicity.
Furthermore, on June 26, 2015, exactly one year prior to this year’s festivities, the United States Supreme Court Declared Gay Marriage Legal in all 50 states.
According to the official “Chicago Pride” website,
“Pride has come to symbolize several things: the long history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer dignity, the freedom of all people to meaningfully and proudly express their sexual and gender identities, and the commitment of LGBT people to combating oppression,"
