Rainbows and Clowns

Yesterday was the annual Chicago Pride Parade, which is always a fun time. The weather was beautiful--warm and sunny, but not too hot. I met up with my friend Lisa and a couple of her friends, staked out a nice spot under a tree, had a couple of cocktails, and watched the fun.

The atmosphere was very festive, as usual, but people seemed extra excited about the New York marriage law, and that added to the celebration. We did not know at the time that more than 50 floats had their tires slashed overnight in an apparent hate crime of vandalism, but crews worked all night to repair more than 100 tires.

The parade always features a lot of politicians--aldermen, state representatives, etc. But this year our new mayor Rahm Emanuel was at the front, followed by the governor and lieutenant governor, as well as our Congressman. It was nice to see the powers-that-be so supportive.

And then came the floats, representing the flamboyant, the serious, the moving, the scantily-clad, and the fun.

As always, it was a great day.

A group of students, parents, and teachers from a local elementary school.

A group of Chicago teachers.

The tourism board of Tel Aviv, Israel, letting the world know that Tel Aviv is a great place for a gay vacation.

Lots and lots of churches were represented, which was very heartening.

The famous Dykes on Bikes.

And Bozo the Clown.