Celebrations sweep nation after ruling

Rainbows and good cheer will be out in force in the United States as hundreds of thousands of people pack gay pride events from New York City to Seattle, San Francisco to Chicago to celebrate a Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

Organizers of San Francisco's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade expect about 1 million revelers. It will have 240 groups marching in its largest parade in 45 years on Sunday, and more than 30 floats.

"I just think it's going to be magical this year," said Gary Virginia, board president of San Francisco Pride.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a long-awaited ruling on Friday recognizing same-sex couples' right to marry in all 50 states. Virginia's comments were echoed by leaders of Pride celebrations in other cities.

"It's going to be an epic weekend," said David Studinski, march director in New York City. "I actually just wrote on Twitter that this is the most historic Pride march since the first one."

The city expects 22,000 people marching, with more than 2 million visitors on hand.

Seattle expects to draw nearly 500,000 parade watchers, said Eric Bennett, president of Seattle Pride. Chicago, the Twin Cities, St. Petersburg and St. Louis will also see Pride events on Sunday.

"This is definitely going to be a momentous Pride weekend all over the country," said Bennett. "It's just going to raise the celebration level of everybody who supports marriage equality."

Pride festivities started as a way to honor the 1969 Stonewall rebellion, when gay patrons stood up to a police raid at a bar in New York City. In San Francisco, marchers took to Polk Street in 1970 and in 1972, the event became a parade.

This year's parade in San Francisco, themed "Equality Without Exception", offers a bit of everything for spectators, from social justice to professional basketball.

The parade's celebrity grand marshal is Rick Welts, president of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Speakers include Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff named in the landmark same-sex marriage suit that was decided by the Supreme Court.

While some Republican presidential candidates urged action to counter the court's ruling, grassroots activists at a conservative conference said they preferred to focus on limiting the damage.

Several presidential hopefuls at the Western Conservative Summit in Colorado, a swing state, called for constitutional amendments or civil disobedience to turn back the landmark ruling that was issued on Friday.

Christian conservatives who have been on the front lines of a battle to stop the advance of gay marriage indicated it was time to cut their losses and focus on ensuring that the ruling will not restrict their ability to practice religion as they see fit.

AP - Reuters

(China Daily 06/29/2015 page11)