The collective released a statement online, which read in part, 'We, as a coalition led by trans women and femmes of color, know that there can be no Pride in a celebration of white, cisgender, gay male joy that simultaneously excludes the lives, legacies, and power of Black and Brown trans women.' In denouncing the Chicago Pride Parade and Festival, the collective announced its intention to launch a Trans Pride celebration in 2018. However, a small group of protestors - a collective of trans and queer people of color - managed to delay the parade for nearly 15 minutes at Belmont and Halsted. Unlike protests at Capital Pride in Washington D.C., Chicago didn't face any large-scale protests. The parade was more celebratory than last year, when the parade followed the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. 'Orange is the New Black' star and Chicago native Lea Delaria served as Parade Grand Marshall. through Boystown, then ending in Lincoln Park. The festive and colorful parade included 150 entrees, which marched from Montrose and Broadway in Uptown, down North Halsted St. The 48th annual Chicago Pride Parade drew record crowds, as spectators crowded the streets, rooftops and balconies from Uptown to Lincoln Park along the 21-block route to celebrate gay pride on Sunday, June 25.
