Supported in South Park

Pride Parade

*A Day Later*

The sheer amount of people on the streets of Denver for the Pride Parade is amazing. There's an unfathomable amount of vibrant colors and rainbows all over the place, which sends a warmth and happiness through my body as our little group stands off to the side on the sidewalk as we talk a small break from walking and enjoying all that this Pride Parade has to offer.

Off in one group is Tweek, Craig, Butters, and Red. Out of all of us, Craig is the one that is dressed up in the least pride items. He has a shirt that says 'Me? Gay? Yeah, probably' along with a rainbow flag that he stuck in his pocket. It doesn't matter if he goes crazy with the pride attire; all that matters is the smile that graces his lips when he looks at Tweek, who did decide on a good amount of pride attire. He's wearing a t-shirt with the gay flag with 'Gay Pride' written around the flag, rainbow stickers on his cheeks, a tie-dye headband to keep his hair out of reach of his hands as there is temporary hair dye of all colors in it, a whole bunch of various pride flags grasped in his hand, and cute band-aids covering his legs from all injuries he has sustained in the coffee shop kitchen. He looks truly happy, and that it all I want for Tweekers.

As for Butters, he's pretty on par with Tweek. He already dyes his hair, so he is showing off the pink today; the bisexual flag is on his cheeks with some make-up that Red applied, his t-shirt is cats wearing the bisexual flag and doing adorable tasks, and his backpack is filled with pride pins along with other things that he enjoys. He was nervous at the beginning of the day, explaining that many years ago he was sent to a horrible camp for kids working through their sexuality. It felt like the hug I gave him after wasn't ever going to be long enough. Then there is Red, who I consider to be one of my closest and best friends, yet I didn't know that she didn't identify as straight. She arrived with make-up inspired by the demiromantic flag, a small galaxy backpack with pride pins, her hair tied up with purple ribbon, and a t-shirt that says, 'Hold on, I need to get to know you first.' When I asked why she hadn't told me about this side of her, she just shrugged, explaining it just never came up, but this was the perfect way to tell.

In another group is Ashlyn, Karen, Ike, and Ruby. My sister is one hundred percent, and the same goes for Ike, but that doesn't mean they didn't dress up in all kinds of ally attire to support the rest of us that aren't. They are matching in their simple t-shirts that say 'Supporting our Friends' and cute baseball caps that have the ally pride flag on it. They've been amazing yelling back at all the offensive remarks in a way that gets the other side to shut up in shame. As for Karen, she looks totally adorable with her hair in pigtails held up with colorful ribbons, and a t-shirt that states, 'Give me a moment, I'm thinking.' She said she doesn't want to label herself at this moment and feels more comfortable being open and going with the flow. Ruby is like her brother in a lot of ways, but instead of gay pride she has lesbian pride. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail with a baseball cap on that has the lesbian flag, and a t-shirt that declares, 'Back up dude, I'm a lesbian!' She's also been chewing gum for most of the day and is blowing the perfect bubbles.

That leaves Stan, Wendy, Kyle, Kenny, and me off in a little group. Wendy and Stan are like Ashlyn and Ike when it comes to only being allies for the rest of us, so they have t-shirts with the ally pride flag, and Wendy made a sign with an inspiring quote, 'There is nothing wrong with you. There's a lot wrong with the world you live in. -Chris Colfer.' The two have also been handing out stickers to the younger people we run into. Kyle was a bit stressed out on the ride over, but it all came out when we arrived in Denver. He explained that he's mainly viewed himself as asexual except for some crushes he's had in the past. He's always been so focused on school and good grades that a relationship with someone barely enters his mind. Until he started hanging out with a certain girl, but he doesn't feel like much has changed within him. He wore a shirt with the asexual flag, and he's been collecting pins of all pride, with some having made it onto his backpack. Until now, he's spent a lot of time talking with Karen, which has been super sweet to watch them both figure everything out together. It is even cuter when Kyle grabs her hand when we walk into a thick crowd.