Sunday, June 29, Chicago held their 39th annual Gay Pride Parade. I was fortunate enough to be able to go and see it first hand this year.

In my head, I knew the parade would be different from a regular parade that would happen in any town, but I was not expecting this. It was absolutely amazing.

The first thing that anyone would have noticed was all of the colors.

There were so many rainbows that when I closed my eyes that night, I still saw rainbow flags. I was almost unable to take it all in.

What also stuck out to me were all of the churchgoers and parents marching in the parade.

Knowing such people could be proud of their children and fellow church members made me so happy.

Knowing people in the gay community are being more accepted by different groups of people gave me hope that equality is on the way.

Everyone there had a smile. They were not just happy to be there; they were proud to be there. So was I.

Each float had different music to go with it and it helped each float stick out from the others.

It was fun to hear one float playing country, the next playing rap, and the next playing square-dancing music.

Another thing that made me smile was watching everyone leap into the air for free merchandise being thrown into the crowd.

Almost every group in the parade was passing out bead necklaces and it was funny watching so many people dive and reach for them. I got 16.

Dan Koteski, president of Pride at Eastern, said, “The Chicago parade is one of the biggest parties in the Midwest.” There were around 450,000 people last year, according to Koteski, and the number grows each year.

It was also nice to see that everyone there was friendly. Anyone in the crowd or in the parade would stop and smile for a camera.

Getting pulled up on a float to dance was mind-blowing. It was also rather exciting when I heard the girl I was dancing with say I moved nicely and then she took a picture with me.

Some are concerned the parade is becoming too commercialized, but I agree with Koteski. who said, “It just makes the parade longer, and therefore more fun.”

I was happy to see the commercial aspect did not overshadow the substantive side of the parade.

Doug DiBianco, faculty advisor for Pride at Eastern, said that Pride provides a safe and educational environment for LGBT and anyone who is interested.

That is how the parade felt for me. With no prejudice among so many people, I felt safe and I felt that I could be who I wanted to be.

There was no worrying about what people would say about my “I Love Girls” shirt and it felt good to wear a rainbow with pride instead of fear.

I come from a small town where homosexual tolerance is minimal, and seeing an entire parade and so many people who are comfortable with their sexuality and with so many people in support of them was absolutely amazing.

Ashlei Maltman is a junior journalism major and can be reached at 581-7942.