Gay pride parades on the U.S. are teeming with people and attracting plenty of sponsorship.
On Sunday, June 29, the Gay pride parades held all over the U.S. attracted massive crowds of lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender people, as well as their supporters. The participants in the parade were celebrating post a year of victory after pushing for several same-sex marriages.
The parades in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, to name a few, come a few days after a federal appeals court passed the ruling for the first time that gay couples have the constitutional right to marry.
Over a million people thronged the streets of Chicago's North Side. This was the first gay pride parade in the region since Illinois legalized gay marriage in May this year.
In Chicago, hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the first such parade since Illinois legalized gay marriage.
"I think there is definitely like an even more sense of pride now, knowing that in Illinois you can legally get married now," says Charlie Gurion, who along with partner David Wilk became the first couple in Cook County to obtain a same-sex marriage license . "I think it is a huge thing, and everybody's over the moon that they can do it now."
Fifth Avenue in New York was a riot of colors as several thousands waved flags as they walked down the street. Those who walked included politicians like Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A lavender line had been painted from Manhattan to the West Village.
The New York parade marks the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which took place on June 28, 1969. The parade also passed the Stonewall Inn, which was the site of the infamous riots.
Silicon Valley was not far behind in the revelry either and Apple, Facebook and prominent companies in the region also participated in the San Francisco Pride Festival, which was held on Sunday, June 29.
Nearly 4000 Apple employees and their family members participated in the parade wearing T-shirts designed especially for the parade.
In Utah, corporates like eBay, Macy's and Starbucks had a prominent presence. With people becoming more accepting of same-sex marriages and bans on the same failing in courts, the environment is conducive for companies to sponsor such events. The benefits of sponsoring are higher than the risks of desisting from the same. Sponsorship of gay pride parades shows that the company supports diversity and is reflective of the company's value systems.
"We understand there are people who might have different points of view on that," reveals Michael Palese spokesperson at Chrysler, which sponsors the Motor City Pride Festival and Parade in Detroit, Michigan, and has been doing it for years now. "We respect their point of view as long as they respect ours."
What is heartening is that several companies' support is purported by internal LGBT groups who are given a budget to spend the money wherever they desire.
Interestingly, the buying power of the lesbian and gay population in the U.S. is estimated at $830 billion, which the companies that are perceived as LGBT friendly can tap into.
"They're recognizing that there's a loyal, reliable customer base," says Gregory Varnum of Equality Michigan, which leads the fight for same-sex marriage rights. "Advertising to the LGBT community is working. They wouldn't keep coming if it wasn't working."
