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With a historic legislative vote late Friday, New York became the sixth – and the most populous – state to legalize same-sex marriage since Massachusetts led the way, under court order, in 2004.
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“But New York is giving everything a new energy….The best way I’ve heard it put is that New York is the petri dish for the rest of the country,” she said. Katie McDonald of Minneapolis attended the festival Saturday and Sunday with her partner and friends, and the 20-somethings all agreed that Pride will always be part party, part celebration of individuality. “So far, there is a lot of interest – more interest than our volunteers can field.” “We want to find people who are really interested in getting active,” he said. “The New York decision is energizing us, it is energizing Pride, but we need all of the support we can get against this amendment.” It is a very big year for people to come out here and show their support,” she said. She said attending the parade this year felt more important than in recent years, she said. She’s been attending the community festival, which began in the 1970s as a gay-rights march, for decades. Terese Pritschet of Minneapolis attended the parade with two friends and her two young-adult daughters Sunday. In addition to the colorful celebrations of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender life, many participants had politics on their mind, thanks to Minnesota’s proposed amendment to ban gay marriage and New York state’s vote Friday to legalize such unions. Much of the weekend was overcast, but that didn’t stop rainbows from claiming the skies of downtown Minneapolis.īright flags, floats and costumes paraded down Hennepin Avenue during the 29th annual Twin Cities Pride Festival, which again packed downtown’s Hennepin Avenue and Loring Park with massive crowds.