Sacramento Pride Parade features Religious Pride

Sacramento’s Pride Festival for 2013 was kicked off by a colorful parade down N Street. In addition to the local contingent of LGBTQI support and commercial services participating in the parade, Sacramento’s religious organizations were well represented. If it hadn’t been for the prominent display of rainbow balloons and flags surrounding the various churches and temples in the parade, I would have thought I was in the Bible Belt.

Did God walk in the Sacramento Pride Parade?

From my estimation, fully one third of the Pride Parade walkers were affiliated with spiritual groups or an organized denomination. You had your Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Independent Catholics, Quakers, Jewish B’nai Israel, Buddhist, Congregationalists, Unitarian Universalists and a couple faith based equality groups mixed in with the local gay bars in the parade. It doesn’t get much more diverse than that.

Big business, big marketing

While the local utilities like PG&E and SMUD have regularly attended the  Pride Parade, there seemed to be a few more commercial participants with large entries. The chain restaurant Chipotle had a bucking burrito float, Wells Fargo brought their stage coach and Safeway rolled out color Pride baskets. It’s cool that nationally recognized and local businesses like Stephen’s Auto Haus enter the parade and make it more fun for everyone. However, there is a slight feeling that the parade is turning into one long advertisement for various businesses and corporations.

Festival of delights

The Pride Festival itself was well attended with lots of food and entertainment. You’ll notice that most of my recordings are of the elite cheer leading squads that were performing. That’s probably just me being envious of the acrobatic and athletic prowess these young men and women must have to execute their routines.

Have fun looking at the pictures and watching the short recordings. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge. If you want the full size version of any of the photos (most of these are only 20% of the original), drop me an e-mail and I’ll send it to you.