Chicago’s Pride Parade has drawn 1 Million Attendees
Pride parade is a date to ccelerate the legal rights, accomplishments, and pride of being a part of the LGBTQ+ Community.
The first pride parade that was hosted in Chicago was in 1985, and it had an estimate of 35,000 attendees. Since 1985, the number of attendees has steadily increased from ten thousand to hundred thousand. the number of attendeees slowly started to stay about the same from 2005 to 2010 which could’ve been caused by the slow increase of states llegalizing same-sex marriage. Most people might have felt uncomfortable attending due to the criticism the community faced at that time.
In 2009, Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This allowed many people of different sexual orientations were given the opportunity to marry who they wanted without any penalties or consequences. This could’ve been one of the factors that could’ve caused what happened next. After countless achivements as an LGBTQ+ community, the numer of attendees at Chicago’s Pride parade has reached over 1 million people thanks too the continuous support of those within and outside of the community. As the community continues to grow, the more achievements the community with have the willing to celebrate for years to come. The number of attendees is expected to continue to rise in the upcoming years.
