400 show their pride at first gay parade here (Staten Island)

[struggle4progress]

Sunday, June 05, 2005
By SETH SOLOMONOW
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

A human rainbow from the borough's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community made a historic, public debut along Midland Beach yesterday, marching in Staten Island's first Pride Parade and Festival -- buoyed by rainbow balloons and flags and applauded by their friends and families.

A giddiness accompanied the 400 people who either marched in the parade or attended a gathering later, organized by Community Health Action of Staten Island, which many hoped was a sign of the borough's coming of age and would be the first of many such celebrations to come.

"When you grow up on Staten Island, you never imagined that this would happen," said the parade grand marshal, Jim Smith. Each of the other four boroughs has its own parade, said Smith, who was followed by gays and lesbians, their parents, co-workers and colleagues and politicians who supported them. <snip>

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1117977438300960.xml

[kenny blankenship]

1. Please, no jokes about the Staten Island Fairy

PLease I'm begging you people.

[despairing optimist]

2. It's a deal, as long as there are no jokes about the Queens parade

It should be coming soon to Jackson Heights, I believe.

[mitchtv]

3. ah Jackson Heights,

one of the more colorful parades. As a local, I was thrilled to attend some years back

[Cha]

4. I was hoping they had

a picture~

[funkybutt]

7. I clicked on this link hoping for some photographs as well

oh well...

[liberaliraqvet26]

5. that surprises me

I grew up in Staten Island (NYC), it was pretty conservative in the 80's/early 90's. Didnt it go for shrub by like 15%?

[liberaliraqvet26]

6. I hate to admit

im a cousin of Jimmy Molinaro (R-SI)