Cincinnati Pride - 2016

"And that's how you make a terrorist die in vain"

   - Steve Hartman, CBS News

 On Friday's CBS News, Steve Hartman's "On the Road" segment was timely. He described a gay teen who had just come out (via a Facebook post) in Alabama. and his fear of acceptance. The quote at the beginning of this blog was Hartman's powerful way of ending the story. It referenced the slaughter of 49 people at the Pulse gay bar in Orlando on June 12.

 And so yesterday, we made that terrorist die a lot more in vain. WLWT (channel 5 in Cincinnati), reported the turnout for the Cincinnati Pride Parade to be in the neighborhood of 90,000. Tom and I were among them.

 Rainbows were the color of the day.

 Tom and I spent our time at the corner of 7th and Vine.

 Police presence was extraordinary. Patrolmen were at every intersection I viewed and swat teams, with automatic weapons were also located strategically. Preparations for our safety were wonderful.

 Where did the flags come from? This is one of the places.

 Pooches were plentiful. One more a rainbow tutu.

 What about that guy's shoes?!

 Yeah, I'm really there.

... and so is Tom.

 The quote: If you're not gay friendly take your bitch ass home!

 This is the proper way to watch a parade on a hot day.

 Must have been hot under there!

 A numbers of guys wore just underwear, This guy was part of a Rocky Horror Picture Show float.

 A bathtub, complete with bubbles.

 During the parade all kinds of give-away's were tossed (sometimes handed) to us: candy (which Tom was still picking up after the parade ended), rainbow wristbands, cup insulators, printed material, Mardi Gras beads (in rainbow hues), condoms and lube.

 Loved this display of Pride and the person in the foreground offering a salute. I can't say gal or guy since drag was a common sight.

 This is the end of the parade. Now to Sawyer Point where the Cincinnati Pride Festival was held.

 Tom sides up to a cardboard cut-out of Hillary Clinton.

 The Belle of Cincinnati paddles lazily by..

 Tom was intrigues by the guys in kilts.

Across the road from Sawyer Point was a religious group with bullhorns telling us we should repent, that there was still hope we could be saved. "You don't have to be this way," one man bellowed. Then there was this opinion.

 Another view of the placards that honored the Orlando victims. These were carried in the parade.

 And then Tom and I started the long walk back to our car at the Garfield Garage at 7th and Vine. We enjoyed some of the sights at Smale Park on our return trip.

 Me with a couple of bronze statues. They reference Cincinnati's Black Brigade during the Civil War. Read more here.

 A love this statue of a mother and child pointing towards the Ohio River. Shades of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

 Downtown Cincinnati had lots of Pride banners. Altogether, a wonderful day, though quite hot (88°). We ended up at Tom+Chee for gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and endless soft drinks. Mostly, though, it was a place to simply cool down.

 Finally, here's a look at our route as we parked our car, watched the parade, walked to Sawyer Point, returned via Smale Park and ended up at Beerfest (see the previous post). Google estimates our walking (the light blue line) was about 3.5 miles. I'd have put it closer to five.