Waving rainbow banners and beating on drums, the paraders started down Johnson Street to the cheers of onlookers sitting in College Green Park. Then, the eclectic group wound its way through Iowa City’s downtown on Saturday afternoon.
A roller-derby club led a red pickup truck filled with people dressed in drag and a troupe of women honking the horns and revving the engines of their motorcycles. As the Iowa City Pride Committee’s annual parade approached the Pedestrian Mall, several hundred onlookers clapped and cheered.
The parade, and subsequent Pride Festival, are cornerstones of Iowa City’s celebration of National Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. For committee head Kirsten Plowman, the event is important for several reasons.
“The goal for us is to create awareness, to celebrate diversity,” she said. “Not only for [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] folks but [for] the different factions in the community.”
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Complete article at Daily Iowan : http://bit.ly/m9HCet
