Thousands turn out for annual SC Pride parade

If the people honking car horns and chanting on Main Street at noon Saturday didn't give a clue to passing people as to what was going on, perhaps the rainbow streamers on the Statehouse steps made them wiser.

Rainbow patterns and colors were everywhere at the festivities for South Carolina Pride 2010, the annual fundraiser for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) organization, now in its 21st year. Well, everywhere except in the almost-cloudless sky.

The rainbow is a symbol of gay pride, and many of the thousands who participated in the parade that went from Main Street through the Vista to Finlay Park shouted "Happy Pride."

There were rainbow signs, beads, banners, and peace signs in red, yellow, orange, green and blue - the latter adding some color to someone's otherwise pale stomach. The list goes on: rainbow studded belts, wristbands, suspenders and knit shoulder bags. (Tie-dyed T-shirts, though plentiful, don't count. Sorry.)

Kristen Kendall was wearing a red bikini top, but her flowing rainbow-patterned skirt was the object of desire.

"I thought it was too fabulous," Kendall said. "I just had to wear it here."

Ryan Wilson, a former SC Pride president, said the festival invites all people, especially those who have been bullied or persecuted, who want to express themselves.

"We provide a space for people who have felt like 'an other,'" he said. "We open the doors and say, 'Come out and be who you are.'"

Of the estimated 10,000 who attended SC Pride, it was a wonder no one was dressed as the cartoon character Rainbow Brite. But there were still plenty of outfits - and sights - that marveled:

This way: "I'm with Gaybraham Lincoln" one guy drew with marker on a white T-shirt complete with an arrow. His companion was easy to spot - he had a black top hat.

Black is the new pink: There were plenty of revelers wearing black, such as the large man in a black tulle skirt and heels. The superqueen Patti O'Furniture was wearing all black with leather thigh-high boots. "I'm catching the cool breezes," she said.

Color choice: One person walked through Finlay Park wearing a form-fitting green sequined dress with blinding white heels. Guess time was running out to wear white shoes before Labor Day.

The place to be: It was like a campground under the few trees in Finlay Park where people had set up lawn chairs and blankets and one group put up a mesh tent. That was the coolest place to be.

Line dance: Festivalgoers needed tickets for the food vendors. At one point, it took 10 minutes to purchase tickets before waiting another 15 minutes for a Pepsi.

Dog park: There were plenty of dogs - all on leashes, thank you - in the park and, as if it were Pleasantville, the owners picked up after their pets. Even the smokers were taking their butts to the trash receptacles.

The opposition: The faith-based group Palmetto Family Council expressed disapproval last week of the public funding SC Pride received and of the rainbow banners hanging from lampposts on Main and Gervais streets. On Saturday, there weren't many protesters. One man stood on the island at Assembly and Gervais streets holding a sign that read "beware of false prophets." In a nearby lot, another sign, with words that won't be printed here, was more direct in its objection.

Family affair: A man was wearing a hip T-shirt with this message: Str8 against H8 (straight against hate). "I'm here supporting lesbians," said the man who didn't want to be identified.

He was at SC Pride with his wife of 14 years - and his wife's girlfriend. They live together in a house with the couple's 14-year-old son. A source of contention with the arrangement: What room the TiVo is in.

Oddities: During the parade, there were people dressed as princesses - the girl and guy variety - and a No. 2 pencil. In Finlay Park, people wore wigs of various colors. None of the above was as incongruous as one parade float, a 4x4 truck with big wheels, bumping the Gucci Mane and Plies song "Wasted." Well, maybe it wasn't so odd. After all, it was a party.