GenQ - For the not so straight individual

New York City's Heritage of Pride Parade was where it all began, and this year the parade went on through both rain and shine! The city's first openly gay city council speaker, Christine Quinn, lead thousands down 5th Avenue Sunday including a viciously attacked popular gay singer, kids with two dads or two moms, party boys and gay politicians straight to where it all began on Christopher Street.

The parade marked a very public return for gay singer Kevin Aviance who sported some stilettos, stockings and not much more as he rode atop a huge elephant on the HX Media float waving proudly to fans with his mouth wired shut as he recovers from a gay bashing. This parade which marked the 25th anniversary of the AIDs epidemic also showed that many young Americans are ready for a political change.

Several hundred young gay New Yorkers were led along the route by increasingly popular openly-gay Attorney General Candidate Sean Patrick Maloney, his partner Randy and their three adopted children. Maloney's presence in the parade with a float, emcee, DJ and sea of supporters made a huge statement to the gay community that he isn't afraid to say that he's proud to be a gay man. As always the pride parade ended in the West Village with live performances and a street fair properly titled, ?Pride Fest.?

On San Francisco's Market street, thousands of festively dressed people looked on as marching bands, dancers and floats bearing corporate logos streamed by. This parade also had a political message, with parade-goers bearing slogans about gay marriage, AIDS, and discrimination. Organizations that marched in San Francisco included Rocket Dog Rescue, a volunteer group that helps abandoned dogs find homes.

Chicago's parade was themed with political work and civil rights. This parade also had a political surge, 41 of the 250 floats were sponsored by politicians and many paradegoers wielded signs in support of gay marriage. Their grand marshal was George Takei, "Sulu" in the original "Star Trek" TV series, who came out as gay last year.

In Ohio on Saturday, thousands gathered for the 25th Stonewall Columbus parade. Along the route, protesters held large signs reading, "Homo sex is sin" and "God abhors you," while a boy in blue tie-dye held up another: "2 Moms. 2 Dads. Too Cool."

New York City and San Francisco report no protestors. Representatives from both cities tell queerplanet that the number of protestors has decreased year after year until they've diminished.

These are just some of the cities that celebrated with parades in remembrance of the New York City Stonewall riots of 1969.