Chicago's
33rd Annual Pride Parade will begin lining up at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 30,
at the corner of Halsted St. and Belmont Ave. At noon, the parade will
step off from the Halsted/Belmont corner, proceeding north on Halsted St.
(to Broadway), then south on Broadway (to Diversey Ave.), then east on
Diversey Ave. to Sheridan Rd. More than 200 registered entries will
include businesses, organizations, individual marchers and political
officials. Floats, decorated vehicles and marching units will be a part of
the processions. Several hundred thousand spectators are
expected.
Leading off the parade will be Chuck
Panozzo, bass player and one of the founders of the renowned rock band
Styx. Chuck's '65 Bentley will be the lead car in the event.
Chuck was "honored' to be in this parade for the GLBT
community.
Pride Parades were originally started to commemorate the
night in June 1969 when gays and lesbians fought back during a raid at the
Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay bar. Gay bars were routinely raided by
the police in the 1960s across the country. That night a riot ensued
kicking off the formation of the modern day gay rights movement. Since
that time, the parades have grown into celebrations that include social as
well as political expressions of pride.
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