Increased security at gay-pride events

Associated Press

CHICAGO

The music was thumping, and crowds were dancing Saturday at gay-pride events around the U.S., with some revelers saying the partying was proof that people won’t give in to fear after last weekend’s attack at a gay nightclub in Florida.

Festivals and parades went ahead under increased security in cities such as Chicago, Columbus, Ohio; and Providence, R.I., a week after a gunman fired on a crowd at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The attack left 49 people dead.

At Chicago Pride Fest, security staff meticulously checked bags, unzipping each and every pocket, and extra police patrolled on foot in a highly visible presence.

The annual two-day street festival in the Boystown neighborhood draws thousands of revelers and serves as a warmup to Chicago’s even bigger Pride Parade the following weekend.

Attorney Kavita Puri said that after Orlando, the Chicago event took on even more importance.

“I wouldn’t call it defiance,” she said. “I wouldn’t call it perseverance. I would call it just living your life and not being scared to live your life.”

In Columbus, Ohio, Pride Parade grand marshal Lana Moore, a retired firefighter who is transgender, said there was heightened resolve in the aftermath of the Orlando attack, which was carried out by a gunman who had expressed hatred of gay people and sympathy for Islamic extremists.

“This is America, and we’re a free people,” Moore told The Columbus Dispatch.

The Columbus chapter of Muslims for Progressive Values marched in the parade for the fourth time. Founder Frank Parmir said they were trying to combat the hatred felt toward gay people.