Brian Wilson

brwilson@tennessean.com

The Nashville Pride Festival in downtown Nashville may have been another version of an annual event, but some of the thousands at Public Square Park said this year's rendition was one of the most optimistic they've seen.

The victories the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has had in the past 12 months have given them plenty of reasons to celebrate, they said.

The festival's atmosphere has changed substantially in recent years as issues such as marriage equality have gained more widespread support, said Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project.

The event came nearly a year after the Supreme Court shot down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act and ruled against Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Sanders was also quick to note the local and statewide progress in LGBT rights, citing Metro Council's vote this week in favor of offering workplace benefits to domestic partners of city employes along with a federal court decision to legalize four same-sex marriages in the state. The decision has since been placed on a stay pending appeal.

"It's an exciting time, especially here in Tennessee," Sanders said.

Mt. Juliet resident Nathan Kabir said the festival had a "genuinely happy" feel that brought in people from all points of the LGBT community.

While there were shows for the drag queens and kings of the festival, the event also had booths occupied by Nashville churches, locally based businesses like Nissan and Dollar General and businesses showing models of wedding-style cakes.

Kabir, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, said events like Saturday's are the best way to publicly rally the LGBT community and its allies.

"It shows that this is us and we're all here to support each other," Kabir said.

While festivalgoers talked about progress, there was still a push for more to be done. Kabir was one of many who signed a petition to pass a federal law ending workplace discrimination for the LGBT community.

Ashley Beck of Clarksville said more could be done, especially in Tennessee. But the progress she's seen in the past year shouldn't be ignored.

"It's going to keep changing for the better," she said.

Reach Brian Wilson at 615-726-5970 and on Twitter @brianwilson17.