NORTH CAROLINA: Charlotte Hosts First Gay Pride Parade In 19 Years

Yesterday Charlotte held its first gay pride parade in 19 years. Since the last parade in 1994, the celebration had been limited to a festival in a city park. 

Attendance for the weekend of festivities was 70,000-75,000, including 20,000 for the parade, said media chairman Matt Comer. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police don’t typically release crowd sizes for public events. The parade was revived this year after lacking the organization and community support it needed in previous years, he said. Marcher Ken Wittenaur, 58, a Charlotte attorney, said the crowd was energizing. “It was amazing to see so many people out here,” he said. “It was a real scene of inclusiveness. It was really touching.”

VIDEO: As always, there was a contingent of anti-gay protesters and preachers who shouted condemnation and promises of well-deserved eternal agonies in a lake of fire. Or something.