No worry, though, because the parade went on and everyone was just as festive as ever. I was worried that the drag queen's makeup might run and their bouffant hairdos might droop, but they all came prepared, wearing probably half a can of Aqua-Net on their hair to keep things perfectly in place (and those umbrellas helped, too!).
I'm old enough that once the parade gets started and I see the mayor, police chief, and congressional delegate leading this big parade of happy, celebratory gay people, I still get a little emotional and slightly teary. Younger people don't realize how far things have come and how amazing it is that we can appear in public as gay citizens without fear of our jobs, livelihood, families, and personal safety, not to mention having all of these public officials joining in and marching in our parade! When I was in college, this sort of happy public celebration would have been just a daydream!
While churches are our next area to educate and inform, there were dozens of church groups marching in the parade from a wide variety of denominations, not just the gay churches. The Episcopal Bishop of Washington was even riding in the parade in his convertable (though the top was up due to the rain)!
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