Neither rain nor heat nor religious extremism dampened the spirit of Atlanta Pride June 24-26 as an estimated 320,000 people flocked to Piedmont Park to celebrate all things gay.

A steady drizzle and cloudy skies cast a small shadow on the parade last Sunday, but participants and parade watchers avoided a downpour the likes of which disrupted the procession last year. Even with 200 entries, the parade this year moved along at a brisk clip, finishing in under 90 minutes.

The Atlanta Police Department arrested at least one person, charged with littering for allegedly throwing religious pamphlets onto the ground. Police officials could not be reached by press time for additional details.

No major medical emergencies were reported at this year’s festival, according to Donna Narducci, executive director of the Atlanta Pride Committee.

On Sunday, people entering Piedmont Park at its 14th Street entrance along Piedmont Avenue faced a handful of anti-gay protestors who held signs with slogans including “Homo Sex is Sin” and “Sodomy — It’s to Die For.”

The protestors also used two loudspeakers on either side of the entrance to blare messages that being gay was sinful and urge Pride attendees to reject homosexuality.

In response, the Atlanta Pride Committee parked a large float with a sound system at the entrance and played techno music to drown out the anti-gay chants.

“We’ve had protesters before, but not like this with sound systems,” Narducci said Wednesday.

“We will be meeting with city officials to discuss this, to see how much our permits extend around the park and if this will allow us to push them into a designated area or further away,” she added.

Religious activists also passed out pamphlets to people seated by the Coca-Cola Stage awaiting the Indigo Girls concert on Friday. Also during the weekend, Members of Exodus International, an “ex-gay” organization, handed out material in the vendor area of the festival.

The presence of the protestors bothered some Pride-goers.

“I come out here to celebrate who we are. I want to be around our own people,” said Jennifer Harris, 31, a lesbian from Atlanta. “Those people who preach to us — can we ban them?”

‘Rain, schmain’
Severe weather last year disrupted the parade and forced Atlanta Pride organizers to cancel much of Sunday’s scheduled events, including the popular Starlight Cabaret, hosted by drag entertainer Raven.

But heavy rains stayed away last weekend.

“Last year, they canceled because they said it was dangerous with all the lightning. I said, ‘Your point?’” a sassy Raven clad in a revealing pink outfit told the crowd of thousands in the meadow of Piedmont Park watching the final event of the festival.

Even with some rain this year, weather did not negatively impact Pride, both in attendance and in revenue, like it did last year, officials said.

In 2004, attendance dropped from an anticipated 300,000 people to about 100,000 over the weekend. But last weekend, Pride officials a crowd of 320,000 over the three-day event, helped in part by a concert Friday featuring the Indigo Girls.

“It was the largest we’ve ever had for a Friday night — we estimate the crowd at about 30,000,” Narducci said.

Overcast skies apparently kept away some parade participants and marchers, but the crowd lining the streets to watch was estimated at about 80,000 people, she said.

The Atlanta Police Department does not provide crowd estimates, according to Sgt. Connie Locke, the force’s gay liaison.

The threat of rain last Sunday hardly bothered Frank Willingham, 38, a gay man from Knoxville, Tenn., who came out to enjoy the parade, the most popular event of the three-day festival.

“Rain, schmain. Put up your umbrella and enjoy. We only get to do this once a year, and the people watching is amazing,” he said.

Tracey Gillman, 44, a lesbian from Norcross, agreed.

“Pride is a singular event. It’s a time to be with each other and celebrate,” she said. “I’m not going to let a little rain get in the way of having a good time and enjoying all these people who are like me and know what we go through every day.”

Award winners
Parade organizers offered awards in three categories.

In the overall float awards, first place in the business category went to Delta Air Lines & Coca-Cola. The two Fortune 500 companies joined forces this year for a single float. Second place went to the Heretic and third place went to Vortex.

First place in the non-profit category went ...

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