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Back then, downtown was often still little more than a ghost town.
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In 1998, an event of any magnitude on Saturday midday in the middle of downtown Knoxville would have been astonishing. Yet, 20 years ago, a parade of this magnitude celebrating gay pride occurring in the heart of Knoxville on Saturday midday would have been unthinkable. Its occurrence is normal (if never mundane). And, clearly, it is strongly supported by many citizens. It has the support of the Knoxville city administration. The Knoxville Pride Parade has been an annual event for over 10 years. Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018Īs I watched the passing spectacle, a thought struck me: how remarkable it was that this occasion was so unremarkable. The most amusing attraction had to be a motorized love seat zipping and bobbing crazily around, its three occupants squeezed in tight and holding on tighter. More groups followed, dancing, chanting, stilt-walking, hula-hooping and having a good time. Grand Marshal Ben Byers came next atop the back of a BMW convertible, then the Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus and after that, an all-male flag-twirling troupe, colorful rainbow heart flags flying. Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018Ī fire engine came at the head of the procession, followed by marchers bearing a Knox Pride banner and waving an assortment of flags, including those of some branches of the armed services. I have attended several Pride parades and Christmas parades in downtown Knoxville, and I don’t recall ever hearing the crowd as loud. With each passing unit of the parade, the merry roar of the crowd grew louder. When the parade arrived, onlookers thundered their approval. From this observation, I couldn’t estimate anywhere near an exact attendance figure, but the crowd was easily thousands strong. This was at 11:50 A.M. As the parade approached about 20 minutes later, 60 had swelled to well more than twice that number, too many in fact for me to count, because the throng was too thick. Where I stood (in front of the Art Market and Gallery on the 400 block of Gay), I counted about 60 people in the immediate vicinity on my side of the street and the opposite. Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Police officers pedaled past on bikes often, and patrol car lights could be seen up and down the route. Benevolence was abounding.Ī significant police presence, however, underscored that, despite the crowd’s good cheer, security and safety were not taken lightly. Attendees were of many races and many generations, from infants to octogenarians.
#When is the gay pride parade for 2018 free
When I arrived at about 11:45 A.M., I observed old friends greeting each other with fierce embraces, a group distributing hugs to strangers free of charge, clusters of families sitting curbside, gaggles of teens and 20-somethings giggling, whispering and darting in and out along the crowded sidewalks, and new acquaintances chatting cheerfully. City Officials, Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018 The mood might have been fearful, apprehensive, or despairing, but good will seemed predominant at the parade route. for the second straight year and the current presidential administration’s apparent indifference to the rights of anyone who doesn’t look like its members. Supreme Court decision ruling in favor of a baker who refused to make a cake for a gay couple’s wedding the rise in number of hate crimes in the U.S.
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As always, there will be an additional load of photographs on the Inside of Knoxville FB page.) Here’s Scott:Īnticipating the arrival of the Knoxville Pride Parade 2018, the attendees waiting on Gay Street appeared happy and relaxed. As it turned out, I was able to attend, so I took the photographs. (I anticipated missing this year’s Pride Parade, so I asked Scott McNutt – past writer for the News Sentinel and Metro Pulse to fill in.
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Pride Parade, Gay Street, Knoxville, June 2018