Fresno Gay Groups in City's Holiday Parade for First Time Ever

Contingents from four glbtq community organizations participated in Fresno’s Magical Holiday Parade for the first time ever on Dec. 4th.

Members of Queer Fresno, the local chapter of the Stonewall Democrats, Central California Alliance and Central California Pride Network marched in the Diamond Jubilee rendition of the parade in downtown Fresno.

Heather Heinz, an event coordinator from the city’s Park and Recreation Department, said this, the 75th parade, would be the largest ever. She said there were at least 150 entries, the most in the parade’s history.

Queer Fresno received an invitation for the glbtq community to participate in the holiday event from a representative of the city’s police department shortly before Thanksgiving. Mike Martinez of Queer Fresno got the word out, encouraging the community to participate.

Many in the community expressed misgivings about the invitation and chose not to participate. They were mindful of problems surrounding this year’s Pride Parade and Festival and of Mayor Alan Autry’s “affirmation of traditional marriage” event held at the end of August.

Autry was Grand Marshal of this year’s holiday parade. He rode in a car with a police escort and did not really expose himself to the crowd of several thousand people. His appearance with police security came on the heels of news two days earlier that the federal government would not be providing $7 million in anti-terrorism funding to the city and county.

Heinz said the parade originally was a children’s event, but the city decided about a decade ago to open the event to the community at large. Children predominated the event. Several community centers, schools and the Girl Scouts had contingents. Fresno and Roosevelt Highs’ marching bands also strode up P Street.