S.F. Pride Parade celebrates marriage ruling
[...] after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry, Sunday’s Pride Parade in San Francisco took on the flavor of a rainbow-colored, almost giddily joyous party for the ages.
Thousands were lined up along Market Street more than an hour before the parade got under way at 10:30 a.m. Friday’s court ruling was a landmark moment in LGBT-rights history, and the significance was lost on no one — screams of joy filled the air from both the watchers and the marchers, and all along the route people were slapping high-fives, hugging and waving LGBT flags.
Amy Armstrong, Rachel Gates, Zach Tuly and Katharine Smith, all recent Marin County high school graduates, were daubing body paint and glitter on each other at Market and Third streets as the floats passed by.
[...] he added, proudly indicating the gold-and-silver metallic shorts and shirtless suspenders he was wearing, “this little number looks fabulous on me.”
The parade route was lined by an array of LGBT people, straights and young and old folks ranging from babies to people using walkers.
Before them flowed floats and marchers, politicians including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and a host of businesses eager to radiate their support.
There was even a group from the Boy Scouts of America carrying a sign reading, “Equal is equal.”
Russell Cohen, 49, was wearing a black dress with red flames on it, and a leather dog-collar with a chain attached to his wrist.
Selenis Leyva, who plays Gloria on the TV hit “Orange is the New Black,” waved from the Netflix float.
“It’s not enough to have two trans celebrities on the covers of magazines,” she said, referring to Caitlyn Jenner and Leyva’s’ co-star, Laverne Cox.
“We figure with the Supreme Court decision and the baby, isn't this an amazing first event to go to?” said Meghan Holler.
Elizabeth Hart of Oakland stopped by the Marriage Equality USA booth at the Civic Center with her son, Ronan, 4, and baby daughter Cora in tow.
Duncan McCreight cordoned off a 10-by-10-foot area at Market and Montgomery streets early in the morning and set up his own breakfast buffet with catering equipment.