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đŸŗī¸â€đŸŒˆ Nobody, No Nobody Gonna Rain on Our Parade

Britt and Dave along the parade route

Meteorologists predicted rain for the St. Pete Pride Parade Parade last Saturday. But the Gay Gods had other plans.

When the parade stepped off at 6 p.m., the drizzle was barely noticeable. It lasted only a few minutes — long enough to cool the air and usher in a light breeze.

The Complimentary Spouse and I found a nice spot along Bayshore Drive just in time to see the parade kick off. Then, joined by hundreds of thousands of our dearest LGBTQ friends and cherished allies, we cheered and celebrated the myriad things that make us proud to be gay.

Here’s the video. Keep reading to learn more about St. Pete Pride and see more photos.

Submitted for your consideration. Hey, the Oscars aren’t too far away!

Pride in the Sunshine City

St. Petersburg, once nicknamed “God’s waiting room” because of its outsized senior population, is now one of Florida’s most exciting, young, and livable cities.1 It’s also home to one of the largest Pride parades in the Southeast: It draws about 300,000 people a year, about the same as Atlanta’s parade and nearly twice as many as Miami’s.2

Over the years, St. Pete Pride has grown from a modest parade into an entire month of entertainment, education, and empowerment. There’s a festival on the day of the parade, and it’s now so big it encompasses two parks.3

Here are some more photos from our day at Pride.

Britt and I get a refreshment.
It is early in the day, but Britt and I know we must stay hydrated.
Eating lunch at Teak.
We had a great view at Teak, one of the restaurants at the end of the new pier.
Britt, David, and Prince the unicorn
I suspect this is not a real unicorn, but it could be.
Man holding up Slay fan.
I suspect this is not really Kid Rock, but it could be.
Lutherans at Pride
There are always a few people at Pride events preaching hate. But there are many, many more preaching love. Amen!
Free hugs sign.
The Free Mom Hugs and Free Dad Hugs mean so much to so many people. I’m fortunate to have a family that loves me. Too many people don’t.
Free Mom Hug hug.
A free hug from a Free Mom Hugs mom. I know that sounds confusing, but it’s a grammatically correct sentence.4
Allendale float at Pride: Black Jesus wearing a rainbow sash, holding a lamb wrapped in a trans sash.
The Allendale Church float featured a giant Black Jesus wearing a rainbow sash. He is holding a lamb wrapped in a trans flag. That sound you hear is bigots’ heads exploding across the country.
Britt and Dave along the parade route.
Two handsome devils along the parade route.
Building lit up for Pride
When the sun went down, the Pride lights came on.
The Footnotes
  1. If you’re unfamiliar with Florida geography, St. Pete is just across the bay from Tampa. You’ll note that Britt and I never complain about the 30-minute drive for Pride events, but we’re always carping about the same 30-minute drive to Tropicana Field. That’s because when you drive over the bridge to Pride events, you end up somewhere fabulous. When you drive over the bridge to Tropicana Field, you end up at Tropicana Field — undeniably the worst stadium in Major League Baseball. ↩ī¸Ž
  2. As far as I know, the largest Pride event of all time was WorldPride in New York in 2019. It commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Of course, Britt and I were there! ↩ī¸Ž
  3. You have to pass through a security checkpoint to get into the festival areas. It’s a sobering reminder that anti-LGBTQ bigots have hearts full of hate and, sometimes, trunks full of guns. ↩ī¸Ž
  4. Trust me. I’m an English major and never make misteaks. ↩ī¸Ž