Pride March in Montgomery
Montgomery is known for its marches, like the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. Just like then, the activists of today are fighting for what they believe in: equal rights for the members of the LGBT community.
“A lot of people have said, ‘okay, well you’ve got marriage equality, everything’s good.’ ‘Fraid not!” said activist Paul Hard.
The Montgomery PRIDE group used their first organized event to take to the streets and draw attention to what they call the Second Civil Rights Movement.
Activist Paul Hard says the PRIDE community has gained a lot of respect in the past few years. But he says there’s still a long way to go before there will be total equality.
“In most states, a person can still be fired from their job, lose their housing because they identify as LGBT,” he says. “And honestly, if you’re paying your rent and you’re not creating trouble for your neighbors, why should that happen?”
Entertainer and activist Ambrosia Starling EmCee’d the event. She was happy to show the LGBT community the best side of Montgomery.
“We’re finally getting, getting to see some people that are willing to stand with us and join us in the broad light of day,” she says. “And not just among their friends or to lend a little word of support here and there. The good and the beautiful part of Alabama is coming out today.”
Not everyone out marching was there to celebrate. A small group of protesters came to share their beliefs with the crowd.
“We murder, we break his commandment,” says Reggie McDonald. “We hate our brothers, we break his commandment. And also if we commit adultery, lust, homosexuality, anything like that, it’s an abomination.”
The crowd marching to the State Capitol could not be silenced on Sunday, the day of their march. It was a day to celebrate not only what makes them different, but what makes them the same.
“We’ve been living our lives in spite of and around their protests on a daily basis for a very long time,” says Starling. “This is a community of much stronger and much more powerful people than anybody realizes.”
This is the first organized event for Montgomery PRIDE, but the group is hoping to be back and even bigger for next year’s Pride Weekend.
