'We're out, we're proud and we belong:' Thousands decked out in rainbow pack downtown for 35th Spokane Pride Parade
Kathryn Martin kicked off her 35th birthday weekend by celebrating 35 years of Spokane Pride Saturday.
Martin held a rainbow peace flag at the main entrance to Riverfront Park on Spokane Falls Boulevard before a colorful parade of walkers, bikers, motorcyclists, rollerbladers and drivers meandered through downtown Spokane to the cheers of thousands of spectators lining the streets.
Martin, of Spokane, was decked out in rainbow clothing and accessories, like beaded bracelets, wristbands and a fanny pack. Her long, braided hair was various shades of purple.
Martin said her biological parents were bisexual and met at a drag show. Two men who also raised her were gay.
She said the parade is a good way to remind the LGBTQ+ community they are welcome.
"People are people, that's all it is," Martin said.
She said the LGBTQ+ community continues to be "shoved aside," which made Saturday's Spokane Pride Parade and others around the country this Pride Month significant.
"We're being told to go back in closets," Martin said. "People like us are being murdered. We need to stand here for them."
During the parade, classic cars, trucks and a herd of honking Jeeps slowly rolled down Washington Street, Riverside Avenue, Howard Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard before finishing outside Spokane City Hall.
Drivers, passengers and their vehicles were all decorated in rainbow colors. Politicians and their supporters as well as various businesses also paraded down the streets.
One group marched in the parade chanting, "Free Palestine," with some members of the crowd joining in the chants.
Another large group showed their support for the "Spokane 3," the three protesters who were found guilty by a federal jury last month of conspiracy to impede or injure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last June at a protest.
The protesters were Bajun Mavalwalla II, Justice Forral and Jac Archer. Mavalwalla II was part of the group in Saturday's parade.
The parade ended with Foam Me Up Nae Nae, a Spokane business that provides foam parties, shooting foam bubbles from a cannon-like apparatus in the back of a pickup.
Whether in the crowd or parade, rainbow-colored pride flags of all sizes were the common theme.
Dozens of people in the parade grabbed the edges of an enormous pride flag and walked with it as a rainbow glow reflected on the street about 4 feet beneath the flag. Dean Lynch, a Spokane City Councilman in 2001, has been one of the large flag carriers since the flag was implemented about 20 years ago, he said.
"It's exhilarating to be able to walk in the parade," Lynch said. "My husband and I have been doing this, carrying the big pride banner ever since its inception. We have our own handles, and it just feels like we have such ownership, and the crowds are so enthusiastic and exciting. It's mesmerizing."
Lynch said the Spokane Pride Parade has come a long way in 35 years.
"The first Pride parade that I participated in, there were gay men who could not show their faces, and so they were in the skywalks to watch the parade go by," Lynch said.
He said some people at the time wore paper bags over their heads to protect their identities.
"This shows that we're out, we're proud and that we belong," Lynch said. "I love humanity, I love my country, I love the people and I'm honored to be here."
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