Portland Shows Its Colors At Annual Pride Parade

By John Sepulvado (OPB)
Portland, Oregon June 19, 2016 1:45 p.m.

One week after 49 people were gunned down at an Orlando LGBTQ nightclub, thousands turned out in downtown Portland for the city's annual LGBT Pride festival and parade.

Brian Delaurenti and Johnathan Dahl, the men behind the popular Instagram account Gay Beards, show off their rainbow beards at the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Northwest Portland Sunday for the city's annual Pride Parade and Festival Sunday, June 19, 2016.

Members of the Dykes on Bikes group led off the annual Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016, winding their way along downtown Portland streets toward Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

More than 130 groups participated in the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016, winding their way through the streets of downtown Portland in celebration of the LGBT community.

One week after mourners gathered in front of popular Portland gay club The Embers Avenue for a vigil to honor those killed in a mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub, tens of thousands of people lined the streets for the city's annual Pride Parade.

A volunteer wore a hat embroidered with the word PRIDE. Tens of thousands of people took the opportunity to celebrate the city's LGBTQ community Sunday, June 19, 2016, as part of Portland's annual Pride Week parade.

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Northwest Portland Sunday for the city's annual Pride Parade and Festival Sunday, June 19, 2016. Many carried signs or wore buttons in honor of the lives lost in a tragic mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub just a week earlier.

An attendee holds a sign in support of the lesbian community during the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

A woman's arm reads "I am not afraid" as she gives high-fives to participants in the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016. The Sunday prior to Portland's parade a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 members of the LGBT community.

Attendees were encouraged to decorate and inscribe the Doors Of Love art instillation with messages of acceptance, love and support. Many left messages of mourning for those killed in Orlando Sunday, June 12, 2016.

Jerry Lapham helps decorate the Doors Of Love art installation at the Portland Pride Festival Sunday, June 19, 2016.

Paul Lauritsen's dog, Isis, sports a rainbow necktie at the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, the state's first bi-sexual governor, participated in the Portland Pride Festival Sunday, June 19, 2016. She stopped to thank members of the crowd for their support of the LGBT community.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown stops to thank a child named Clementine for coming out to support the LGBT community during the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

The Portland Raging Grannies were one of 149 entries in the city's annual Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

A man rides a unicorn-topped unicycle during the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

Many Portland-area based companies had a presence at the Portland Pride Parade, promoting messages of acceptance, tolerance and love.

Support for the Orlando LGBT community following last week's tragic mass shooting was a common theme among attendees of Portland's Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

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The vast majority of people wore buttons or held signs showing support for the victims in Orlando.

"We're here to say love is love," said filmmaker and photographer Alicia J. Rose. "We're here to say f--- fear."

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Groups representing a wide array of Portland based businesses, including Adidas, Morel Ink, Nike, and Intel marched in the parade. They were joined by many non-profit advocacy organizations, individual celebrants and religious supporters of LGBTQ equality.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown stops to thank a child named Clementine for coming out to support the LGBT community during the Portland Pride Parade Sunday, June 19, 2016.

Bryan M. Vance / OPB

"It's cool to see so many people here," said First Christian Church of Portland pastor Amy Piatt.

"They've got to be somewhere around here!" Piatt said before disappearing into a sea of people in search of her church's group.

Yet, with all the people came security concerns. There was a large police presence, with many officers wearing rainbow necklaces and jewelry.

The large police presence was just one of the security measures employed, according to Portland Mayor Charlie Hales.

"Portlanders are safe because we are accepting, and we are tolerant," Hales said, dressed in a purple suit with a rainbow sash. "We practice love, not hate. And that's what today's about."

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