Jun 8, 2008 6:21 pm US/Pacific
WeHo Gay Pride Parade Celebrates Same-Sex Marriage
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.
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Same-sex couple Shelly Bailes, left, and Ellen Pontac react to a California Supreme Court decision to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage May 15, 2008, at the California Supreme Court in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
West Hollywood's 38th annual L.A. Pride Parade took on extra significance on Sunday as participants celebrated a state Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined Santa Monica Boulevard between Crescent Heights and Robertson boulevards to watch the gaily decorated floats, bands, marching community advocacy groups and convertibles with honored guests, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
"We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go, because there's some who would like to turn back the hands of time, and I've always said the hands of time only go forward," Villaraigosa told reporters.
The parade was part of the three-day L.A. Pride Celebration, which began Friday and celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Gay marriage was on the minds of many participants.
Alvin Black, 20, and his fiance, Seth Hutton, 31, flew in from Portland, Ore., to see the parade for the first time, drawn by the allure of same-sex
marriages, which are to begin in California June 17, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"It's really overwhelming," Black told the Los Angeles Times. "It's fun to come here and see the high energy."
"For us, it's like peering into the future -- coming down here and see what the rest of the country is going to look like, Hutton said.
Among those honored at this year's parade were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that resulted in a state initiative that restricted marriage as being
between a man and a woman being declared unconstitutional last month by the state Supreme Court.
However, another ballot initiative in November will seek to amend the state Constitution to restrict marriage to between a man and a woman.
Several protesters showed up along the parade route with bullhorns and signs reading, "God Abhors You" and "Smile: Satan Loves You," but they did little to dampen the enthusiasm of parade-goers, The Times reported.
The parade has been held every year since 1970, except for 1973, when infighting over crude displays the previous two years left the organizers in
disarray. The parade was held in Hollywood until 1979, when it moved to its current location of West Hollywood.
Olivia Newton-John is to perform tonight during the post-parade street fest.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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