- Houston Gay Pride Parade
The Houston Gay Pride Parade is a
Gay Pride festival held annually since 1979 in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston,Texas (USA) . The festival takes place in June to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people and their allies. The route of the parade is usually along Westheimer Road, from Dunlavy Street and ending at Crocker Street. It is currently the most attended and largestGay Pride event in the Southwest region of America. The Houston Gay Pride Parade also have the distinction of being the only parade in the country to be held at night.This event is to commemorate the 1969 police raid of the
Stonewall Inn onChristopher Street inNew York City 'sGreenwich Village neighborhood, which is generally considered to be the beginning of the modernGay Rights Movement .The festivities are held all day on the 4th Saturday of the month. The highlight of the event is the parade which is held in the evening after sunset since 1997 (which was arranged by then-Houston City Councilmember
Annise Parker where a parade ordinance was revised). Because the event is held at night, the various floats and surroundings are creatively illuminated by the various participants.Parade organizers (
Pride Houston ) estimate attendance of 200,000 [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5862191.html Hard work pays off in celebration] ]Awards
Entries in the parade are eligible for awards in categories with cultural references significant to LGBT history as well as a judges pick and categories with more localized focus:
* Judges' Choice
*Stonewall (best social commentary)
*Aria (best creative sound)
* Fabulous (best costumes)
* Rainbow (best lighting)
* Ruby Slipper (best walking)
*Judy Garland (best performance)
*Lone Star Pride (best interpretation of the 2007 theme)
* Pink Diamond (best float by a for-profit company)
* Priscilla (best float by a non-profit group)
* Spirit of Montrose (best overall)Houston Pride Themes & Parade Grand Marshals
ee also
*
Dyke March
*Gay pride
*Gay pride parade
*"Gay USA"
*InterPride / IALGPC
*Rainbow flag
*Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures
*Stonewall riots References
External links
* [http://www.pridehouston.org Pride Houston Website]
* [http://www.interpride.org/ InterPride]
* [http://www.gay.com/pride/calendar/ Pride events listed at Gay.com]
* [http://www.gaytoz.com/united/prides.html Gay Pride calendar]
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