By June 3, the California Supreme Court will vote on the right of same-sex couples to say “I do” legally. In the meanwhile, Long Beach and the rest of the state are celebrating their sexuality.
The 2009 Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade, which took place Sunday May 17, was themed “Your Rights, Our Rights, Human Rights.”
That title shined through its grand marshals Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, one of the first same-sex couples to marry and litigate against Proposition 8, the voter-approved ballot measure that seeks to limit legal marriages to heterosexual couples.
Local honorees also stood out at the parade. Latina spiritual leader Rev. Sunshine Daye and AIDS activist was chosen as this year’s community grand marshal.
Only about 6 people, among the thousands that showed up for the event, protested the event.
Daye, who ministers the science of the mind philosophy, said religion itself is not to blame for the ignorance of the few.
“Religion is not the root of all evil,” Daye said. “Hatred promotes separation and discontent amongst all people … A lot of religious communities may frown upon it because we’ve been socialized to have a hierarchy when it comes to sexual expression.”
Song, costumes and dance adorned Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach for the 26th year. The fun poured onto the city’s Shoreline Drive for an all-day continued celebration with vendors, food, drinks, and Urban, Country and Latino dance tents.
Kat Deluna, Jazmine Sullivan, Sara Bareilles, Smash Mouth and Laura León and son Yaxkin were among the festival’s headlining celebrities.
A 4.7 earthquake was a preamble to the diva of Mexican cumbia Laura León and telenovelas (soap operas) said she considers that everyone has the right to do with their bodies as they please and that not only her country, but the world could learn something from the event and each other.
“The only thing I have received from gay people is love,” said Leon, cigarette in hand before her performance. “Gays have great writers. They create my dresses, my makeup, my songs, my scripts. I have great gay friends who are my life and my adoration.”
Leon, whose fans often call her “La Tesorito” (Little Treasure) and whose popularity is comparable to Cher in Latino America, made her stage entrance with a rainbow colored dress and her hit song, “El Premio Mayor,” (The Major Prize).
“Have you seen my dress; what it symbolizes?” said León, who closed the night Sunday at the Latino festivities tent. “It’s (rainbow) colored with lots of love.”
The 2009 Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade, which took place Sunday May 17, was themed “Your Rights, Our Rights, Human Rights.”
That title shined through its grand marshals Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, one of the first same-sex couples to marry and litigate against Proposition 8, the voter-approved ballot measure that seeks to limit legal marriages to heterosexual couples.
“We can no longer use a slingshot while our enemies use a sledgehammer,” Tyler,San Francisco’s Mayor Gavin Newsom, who in 2004 directed his city’s county clerk to issue marriages licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The dashing mayor, who recently announced his candidacy for governor in 2010, was modest and approachable; thanking the community for their support, engaging in conversations and taking photos prior to the parade.
67, said. “Win or loose our community should never be invisible … If we lose,
then for the first time in American history, a protected minority will be taken
OUT of a constitution … There is no making peace until we get our civil rights.”
Local honorees also stood out at the parade. Latina spiritual leader Rev. Sunshine Daye and AIDS activist was chosen as this year’s community grand marshal.
Only about 6 people, among the thousands that showed up for the event, protested the event.
Daye, who ministers the science of the mind philosophy, said religion itself is not to blame for the ignorance of the few.
“Religion is not the root of all evil,” Daye said. “Hatred promotes separation and discontent amongst all people … A lot of religious communities may frown upon it because we’ve been socialized to have a hierarchy when it comes to sexual expression.”
Song, costumes and dance adorned Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach for the 26th year. The fun poured onto the city’s Shoreline Drive for an all-day continued celebration with vendors, food, drinks, and Urban, Country and Latino dance tents.
Kat Deluna, Jazmine Sullivan, Sara Bareilles, Smash Mouth and Laura León and son Yaxkin were among the festival’s headlining celebrities.
A 4.7 earthquake was a preamble to the diva of Mexican cumbia Laura León and telenovelas (soap operas) said she considers that everyone has the right to do with their bodies as they please and that not only her country, but the world could learn something from the event and each other.
“The only thing I have received from gay people is love,” said Leon, cigarette in hand before her performance. “Gays have great writers. They create my dresses, my makeup, my songs, my scripts. I have great gay friends who are my life and my adoration.”
Leon, whose fans often call her “La Tesorito” (Little Treasure) and whose popularity is comparable to Cher in Latino America, made her stage entrance with a rainbow colored dress and her hit song, “El Premio Mayor,” (The Major Prize).
“Have you seen my dress; what it symbolizes?” said León, who closed the night Sunday at the Latino festivities tent. “It’s (rainbow) colored with lots of love.”
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