Crowds turn out at Houston Pride Festival to celebrate, make a statement after Orlando

The Pride Parade route Saturday, June 25, 2016, in Houston. The Houston Pride Festival and Pride Parade are at the center of the Celebration with an attendance of over 700,000 people every year from all over the world. less The Pride Parade route Saturday, June 25, 2016, in Houston. The Houston Pride Festival and Pride Parade are at the center of the Celebration with an attendance of over 700,000 people every year from all over ... more Photo: Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 90 Caption Close Crowds turn out at Houston Pride Festival to celebrate, make a statement after Orlando 1 / 90 Back to Gallery

For some, the Houston Pride Festival was a day to celebrate a wedding anniversary one year after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.

Others who turned out wanted to make a statement of defiance two weeks after a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people.

Whatever the reason for attending, Saturday was an emotional day for many of the estimated 700,000 people who went to Houston's 38th annual Pride festival and parade. Police reported no incidents and said the crowd appeared larger than in years past.

John LaRue, 31, and Hunter Middleton 26 — who a year ago were the first in line at the Harris County Courthouse to get a marriage license atter the high court's ruling — were among those marching in the parade.

LaRue said some friends who marched with them had been on the fence before. The June parade is typically hot and crowded and "a giant traffic mess," LaRue said.

"Once Orlando happened," he added, "it was like there's not really a question. We're all going to march this year."

City Hall was lit up brightly in rainbow hues as the parade officially rolled through downtown Saturday night.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, wearing a crisp white shirt and a neck full of colorful beads, rolled by in an open-air convertible. He waved and tossed beads left and right.

Fans grabbed at hundreds of glow sticks thrown their way out of the back of a police car; they were shined in remembrance of the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12. About 30 people carried a massive rainbow flag listing the names of all 49 victims of the deadly shooting rampage.

The honorary grand marshal of the parade was Imran Yousuf, the ex-Marine who as a bouncer at the Pulse nightclub helped to save the lives of people during the chaos.

Saturday night, he rode in a green SUV adorned with colorful flowers, standing up through the sunroof to wave at and salute the crowd.

"It feels enlightening now," Yousuf said before the parade. "I feel people are moving past the incident and coming out here. You can see people are trying to find ways to rebuild and just taking a dark situation and making light of it."

"It's such a good feeling — not to stay wallowing, but to get out there and help rebuild and remember the ones we lost in the best way we can."

Orlando was indeed on the minds of many, contributing to feelings of unease and solemnity but also to a sense of solidarity and mission.

Gerald Curlee, 49, and Jerry Chaffin, 71, were in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., during the weekend of the shooting. "We had family members calling us constantly saying 'Oh my God, are you OK?" Curlee said.

Curlee and Chaffin, who have been together 18 years, wore matching khaki shorts and shirts to the Pride festival. On the shirts, it said "Happy" with a rainbow emblematic of the changes in the LGBT community.

"The tragedy in Orlando brought the world together to view the gay community as normal," Chaffin said.

He teared up recalling those he's lost in his life to violence against gays. He remembered feeling fear when he served in the Navy in the 1960s and during the '70s in Houston, a time he said when violence against gays was commonplace and the police looked the other way.



"We're happy in what we chose in life. It's very important that everyone understands that," Curlee said.

Monica Robledo, 45, who works at Walmart in Deer Park, came adorned in rainbow while her daughter Destiny, 18, wore a rainbow tutu. Monica, at her first Pride festival, had painted a message of "No Hate'' on her face.



"I wanted to spend it with my daughter. I'm here to support her because she's my daughter, she's my baby," Monica said. "I love her no matter what, whether she's gay or straight."

Mindful of the Orlando shooting, she said: "We shouldn't be scared. We got to be strong for our country and show people they can't defeat us."

The Green family, including four young children, came out for the festivities. Tresce Green, 37, a restaurant server, and her wife Aubrey Green, 43, a chef, made their own shirts that read "Straight Out of the Closet" a play on the movie "Straight out of Compton." Their kids, ages 9, 8, 5, and 2, also made their own shirts.

The Greens wanted their children to witness the tribute during the parade to the Orlando victims.

"We want them to be involved. We want them to know that hatred is out there but we raised them to be accepting of different cultures, different religions, and just different period," Tresce Green said.

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Matthew Musler, 23, of Austin, was inspired by the Orlando massacre to come to the festival and parade in Houston.

"I didn't want them to win. I don't want to be a victim," said Musler, who identifies as transgender. A Costco worker, Musler began the transition from female to male in April 2015.

He also hopes the transgender community can become more visible after the tragedy.

"LGBT people are seen but transgender people are invisible now," he said. "I think they need to notice all of the letters."

Just beyond the concert stage near the tranquility pond downtown, Jennifer Nichols waited at a booth for her new custom-pressed t-shirt to dry. Nichols, 31, chose the same design as her friend Andi, a rainbow-colored outline of the state of Texas with a heart marking Houston. This was her first time attending the city's Pride festival, Nichols said.

A LOOK BACK: Pride festivals through the years

In previous years she'd been too nervous to attend. She wasn't always "out" to her family, she said, so it made her anxious to be a part of the crowd. This year, however, the events in Orlando also changed her mind.

"It's nice to be with my people," said Nichols, a teacher from Pearland.

More than 100 local businesses, organizations, and community members participate in the parade, which started at 8:30 p.m.

During a press conference Friday, Mayor Sylvester Turner urged Houstonians to come out and support the parade despite the recent violence in Orlando.

"I understand there's a concern," Turner said. "The message is simple: Let's not be afraid."

Turner and Police Chief Martha Montalvo said FRiday there would be a heavy police presence at the festival and along the parade route. According to Pride Houston's website, no firearms are allowed on the premises. There also will be random vehicle searches throughout the day.

Montalvo confirmed Friday that police investigated the circumstances around a tweet threatening a shooting during the Houston Pride parade. Police determined that a teen tweeted the message to discourage her brother from attending, but that it posted no danger.