OKLAHOMA CITY- The intersection of 39th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue was filled to capacity Sunday evening as citizens of all sexual orientations celebrated the 22nd annual OKC Pride Parade and the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City.
Celebrity author and drag queen Ruby Ann Boxcar marshalled the parade, but among the colorful floats, throwing of beads and the recognition of diversity, there were some that were there for reasons other than celebration.
“We come out here to make ourselves known to the world that we are here, and we want our rights,” said Nicole Kullingson, who was attending the parade with her partner of five years. “We want to get married. We are two people that love each other, and we want to dedicate ourselves to each other. People need to open up and realize what [marriage] is truly all about.”
Kullingson said she was tired of how the government makes her choose living in a certain state over having marriage equality.
For some, it was more than just marriage equality, but rather making an impact on the community.
“[I came out today] because it’s tradition, and we want people to know that we are good people because we don’t have the respect that we should have,” said Ariana Ree, a parade attendee. “We want people to come out today, and appreciate each other. Everyone wants to know about the biker rally going on downtown, but no one cares to hear about pride.”
Ree said she hoped the parade would make the image of the gay and lesbian community known in Oklahoma, and also would encourage politicians to fight for equality.
“We have some politicians that are all about [equality], but are afraid to step up to the plate,” she said. “We also have those, like Sally Kern, that need to back off. We are here, and we want our rights and respect.”
Not everyone at the parade, however, was gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. Some straight people came to the parade to show support for their friends.
“I came out to support my gay friends,” said Chris Dewitt.
Dewitt said that even though he wasn’t sure about the meaning of some of the things being celebrated at the parade, he felt it was important to come out to the event to show his support for gay rights.
curiousnrg 2 years, 10 months ago
There are two types of sexual human beings: heterosexuals and non-heterosexuals. You are one or the other, not both. The source of such a range of genetic expression lies in the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule, a molecule capable of mutation that is responsible for living things as you know them. Living organisms of whatever complexity arise from an evolutionary-derived genetic substrate. This genetic substrate is capable to produce an infinite number of phenotypic expressions, one of which is sexual expression. This is clearly a civil rights issue! E A Mortarelli
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