An estimated 100,000+ people showed for the 42nd Annual LGBT Pride Parade on Saturday, July 16.

The weather was perfect. The crowd was loud and proud, with an undercurrent of poignancy due to memories of the Pulse nightclub attack on June 12, where 49 people lost their lives to a gunman. People used the word Orlando in many ways throughout the event, symbolizing solidarity, love, and courage.

Photographer Haley Joy Porter was there and took these photos.

From SDGLN News:

Rainbow flags, multi-colored beads, and Thump Sticks were the fashion choice, some people choosing to soak up the sun and bare their skin beneath the clear blue skies.

Over two-hundred contingents comprised the procession.  

From the San Diego Sherriff’s Department to The Unified School District to The Padres, every organization truly excited to show thier advocacy to the community.

Politicians both near and far also marched through the street to show their support for San Diego.

From the Union-Tribune:

There was a shadow over the festive atmosphere, thanks to recent terrorist attacks on public gatherings, including last week’s murderous rampage by a driver in Nice, France. Hundreds of uniformed officers — police from San Diego, Los Angeles, La Mesa, Chula Vista and Escondido, plus the California Highway Patrol and other agencies — patrolled the parade route.

Instead of marching, they were taking “significant security precautions,” said SDPD Lt. Charles Lara. “We came out here to show support for the LGBT community. That’s super important, post-Orlando.”

The day was part fiesta, part memorial. Waving to the crowd from her open convertible, Miss Gay Pride San Diego couldn’t help but think of a friend, Shane Tomlin, who had been shot and killed in Orlando.

From City News Service, via CBS8:

More than 190 entrants, some waving rainbow flags, took part in the 1.1-mile parade through the heart of San Diego’s gay community. The parade headed west on University Avenue from its start at Normal Street, took a left on Sixth Avenue and headed south to the end at Laurel Street in Balboa Park.
   
This year’s parade highlights included U.S. Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning — the first openly gay leader of a U.S. military service branch — leading the military contingent as an honorary grand marshal.