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Orlando’s popularity among LGBTQ+ travelers has as much to do with its diverse, welcoming, and inclusive nature, as the world-class theme parks, unique experiences beyond the parks and the full calendar of special events. Organizers nearly doubled their corps of private security agents, to 160.With Orlando’s unique blend of unforgettable adventures and vibrant nightlife, it’s no wonder the destination topped 's list of America's most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations. Some participants didn’t welcome the stepped-up security: Two honorary grand marshals and a health clinic that serves sex workers withdrew Friday from the parade to protest the heavy police presence.Ĭhicago police put 200 more officers than usual on duty for the city’s pride parade Sunday. San Francisco spectators faced metal detectors for the first time, and more police than usual were keeping watch. Thousands of uniformed officers lined the route, supplemented by plainclothes officers in the crowd. New York police deployed roving counterterrorism units and used bomb-sniffing dogs, rooftop observation posts, police helicopters and thousands of officers to provide extra layers of security at Sunday’s parade. Sunday’s parades did have a new milestone to mark: President Barack Obama on Friday designated the site around New York City’s Stonewall Inn as the first national monument to gay rights. Many participants said the tributes to the dead in Orlando didn’t dampen the energy and fun associated with the pride parade.
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Above each photo were the words, “Never forget.”ĭespite the somber start, paradegoers seemed as enthusiastic as ever once marchers and floats began moving, cheering and dancing along the route. In Chicago, 49 marchers at the head of the parade each held aloft a poster-sized photograph of a different Orlando victim as the procession wound through the city. “What happened in Orlando made me want to come more,” said Restrepo, swathed in a multicolored scarf. She had brushed aside her father’s concerns about security to attend the march for the first time. Al Sharpton for a brief appearance at Stonewall Inn, the bar where a 1969 police raid helped catalyze the gay rights movement.Īuthorities had expected a larger-than-usual crowd, and 15-year-old Chelsea Restrepo, of Staten Island, was among the onlookers. Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Rev. She walked several blocks of the march, joining New York Gov.
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Elected officials turned out in force, as did presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. An announcer introducing state officials and guests also shouted out, “Love is love! New York is Orlando!” in memory of the 49 people killed in Florida. Some spectators held up orange “We are Orlando” signs, and indications of increased security were everywhere, with armed officers standing by. NEW YORK – Rainbow flags were held high along with portraits of the dead as thousands of people marched Sunday in gay pride parades tempered by this month’s massacre at a Florida gay nightclub.Ĭrowds of onlookers stood a dozen deep along Fifth Avenue for New York City’s parade. Parades in New York and other major cities Sunday will feature increased security, anti-violence messages and tributes to those killed in this month’s massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida. A year after New York City’s storied gay pride parade celebrated a high point with the legalization of gay marriage nationwide, the atmosphere this year couldn’t be more different. Police officers walk along the street near the parade route of the New York City Pride Parade on Sunday, June 26, 2016, in New York City.