Pride 2003 Seattle's Second Largest Annual Parade 29 June 2003 Story & photos by Steven Michael Vroom Using the theme "Families Like Ours" the Freedom Day Committee held the largest GLBT event in Seattle. Elsewhere across the country, gay -, bisexual- and transgender- pride parades were held in cities such as San Francisco, New York, Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago. [click on images below to enlarge] Assembling the parade Forming up in the Pike/Pine Corridor, the three hour parade assembled with an air of festive hilarity. Logistics in Volunteer Park Vendors set up booths in the picturesque park, offering such wares as food, drinks, t-shirts, jewelry, trinkets, and political pamphlets. The Parade The male grand marshal was Rep. Ed Murray, D-Seattle. The female grand marshals were the owners of Wildrose Tavern, Karen Finn, Martha Manning and Shelly Brothers. And the organizational honor went to "Families Like Ours," which supports nontraditional adoption. As in years past, the lesbian motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes got the Seattle parade off to a roaring start. Marching behind the grand marshals, members of the sports community and City of Seattle employees made the long walk down Broadway/10th Ave to the Park. Seattle Quake Rugby, Seattle Cheer Club, the Kings Wrestling Club, the ACLU, Seattle Men's Chorus, the rainbow Families Coalition, and Camp Ten Trees were represented. The crowds were pleased by the exuberance by the kids from the GBLT youth center, Lambert House. The Broadway Grill float, the stilt walkers, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and various Church groups were all warmly received. Crowds lined the end of the parade route on 10th Avenue East to watch the Seattle Fire Department, West Seattle's Guppy's, and tossed change into the large Equality flag. Demonstrations of Kung fu, winners of the Brian M. Day GLBT scholarship, a Scuba Diving club, employees of the Bank of America and the Metro bus system along with the Amalgamated Transportation Union served the spectators with visual delights. Concert at Volunteer Park After the parade, people gathered in the park to enjoy a free concert and many educational displays by area non-governmental organizations. The food vendors in front of the Seattle Asian Art Museum were extremely busy, while people strolled through admiring the motorcycles and vintage automobiles parked by the water tower and the plant conservatory, respectively. Aftermath of the events Upon leaving the park, it was striking to see so much litter strewn along the parade route. If there is one area that this annual event could use a little improvement, it would be to try and reduce the amount of trash generated by the events. Chicago's parade drew between up to 400,000 people, according to parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer. Organizers of the Atlanta Pride Festival, now in its 33rd year, said they expected a crowd of 300,000, the largest in the parade's history. The Supreme Court ruling was cited as a factor in the big turnout. Seattle Police declined to give a crowd estimate for the parade and rally.