By Paul R. Benson
Reporter
On September 15th, downtown Champaign was packed with people. It was an hour before the CU Pride Parade started. The Skeeter Davis song “The End of the World” echoed in the streets from a nearby bar. Ironically, the weather felt like the end of the world, but despite the heat, more people showed up as it got closer to 5:00pm. There seemed to be more booths and a larger turn out than last year. The rainbows were everywhere. People were wearing rainbow shirts, rainbow socks, rainbow earrings, rainbow face paint, rainbow bracelets, even rainbow capes. There was rainbow everything! If only a crowd this friendly could last forever. The CU Pride Parade is the largest downstate pride parade, and this year that seemed very evident. This was also the first year the Parkland Pride club marched in the parade.
Sixty-three organizations marched in the parade this year. A good portion of the people marching were children. While times have changed, primary and secondary school is still difficult for LGBTQ+ kids. According to the Trevor Project, LGBTQ students are five times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youths and suicide is the second leading cause of death for kids between the ages of 10 and 24.
There were “Trans Lives Matter” signs along with “Black Lives Matter” signs, and many other signs for Pride. There was a point in the parade where a man rode by with a red hat, a rainbow windsock on a tricycle, and a sign saying “Make America Smart Again.” Marchers handed out candy.
There were 70 vendors/organizations at the fair this year. Ads were everywhere. Walmart, Bud Light, Meijer, Pepsi, Smirnoff Vodka, and Red Bull to name just a few sponsors. Now that the LGBTQ+ community is more accepted in American society, big companies are marketing their consumer products at pride parades. There are also politicians pushing their agendas and to get votes, and churches looking for new followers. At least the LGBTQ+ community is more accepted to the point where we’re a target market for consumer products. All of this was the underbelly of the event, but for the most part everyone was in a good mood. At the end of the day, pride parades are a celebration about love and community. Most vendors seemed genuine in their support. There was one booth where two parents were giving away free hugs. Many booths donated money to help local LGBTQ+ groups, charities, and public services.
Overall, this was a fun year to be at the CU Pride Parade. The Uniting Pride, or UP, Center does a wonderful job in hosting the event. It was really great to see all of the Parkland students attending the event and even some marching in the parade. It’s a very exciting year for the Parkland Pride club. “This is by far the biggest group that Parkland Pride has had since I’ve been advising and I’m really excited about it,” said Pride Club Advisor, Tanino Minneci. Minneci was also happy that Parkland was able to introduce itself more to the community by marching in the parade this year. Community is important, especially in times like these. It’s truly amazing to see people from many different communities come together to support equal rights. Future LGBTQ+ events for the Parkland Fall semester include National Coming Out Day on October 11th, a Trans Day of Remembrance, and a Halloween event. For students interested in donating to or joining the Pride club, or for those who may have any LGBTQ+ questions, or simply need a safe place or someone to talk to, contact Tanino Minneci at gminneci@parkland.edu or Sarah Maxwell at smaxwell@parkland.edu.
