Pride Parade 2008

[mr.x]

Vancouver Pride Parade draws record numbers
More than 500,000 people attend 30th annual parade

Nicole Tomlinson, Vancouver Sun
Published: Sunday, August 03, 2008

The 30th annual Pride Parade "broke a lot of records," the president of the Vancouver Pride Society said.

John Boychuk said people were still coming downtown for the event at 2:30 p.m. and the parade, which started at 12 p.m., was going on longer than expected.

"We don't have any official numbers yet, but it looks like almost 30 per cent increase ... very close to half a million people," he said. "People are having so much fun, it's incredible."

Boychuk also said the crowd has diversified since he became involved in the event five years ago.

"There are more families, kids, and tourists," he said. "I'm very proud of the support that this community is receiving,"

The procession included 140 parade entries, Vancouver Pride Society's website said.

During the parade, screams praising one of the grand marshalls for the event, Sahran Abeysundara, made the Sri lankan break into tears, Boychuk said.

"In his country you can go to jail for being gay," Boychuk said. "Be proud to be Canadian today ... I am."






From Flickr
http://flickr.com/search/?q=vancouver+gay+pride+&s=rec


Staging Area






























The Parade

[SpongeG]

now if only the gays walked around in their underwear year round

[dreambrother808]

i was having a great time. too bad for pissy boyfriends who want to go home early afterwards...

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

i was having a great time. too bad for pissy boyfriends who want to go home early afterwards...

lemme finish that sentence for you:


...to snuggle in bed and....

[dreambrother808]

i think i get my fill of cuddling and whatnot every other day of the year. some days you just want to be very extraverted and social.

[muzhav84]

it was amazing, i marched for the first time, on the South Asian Bollywood float. it was our first year as a group, and I have to say the reception was amzing!! so much fun and the crowds were great!!

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by muzhav84

it was amazing, i marched for the first time, on the South Asian Bollywood float. it was our first year as a group, and I have to say the reception was amzing!! so much fun and the crowds were great!!

so which one are you? the guy with lots of skin???? :p

[David]

the bollywood float was very good. Good showing for your first time!

pretty obvious which boy in the parade mr.x fancied the most

i myself had a great spot on beach near cardero. spent some time at celebrities and then went home around 7. i never can stay out much late after the parade because i get so burnt out from the sun

[raggedy13]

Thanks for posting those pics mr.x2. I always find the Pride Parade quite fascinating and I regret never having been to one. I'm really interested in checking it out one year but I always seem to be out of town when it's on... as I am right now. Glad to see the weather was great for it.

[mr.x]

i couldn't resist....here are more:

[danby]

dam! i really missed a good year to go!

[mr.x]

A few more....such eye candy.































Festival at Sunset Beach, located right at the end of the parade.

[204]

Thanks for posting these Mr.X. The Pride Parade is in no way an accurate depiction of the average homo. More like a day that the exhibitionists within the gay community can flaunt their (mostly unflaunt-worthy) half-nekkid bods. But what can you do. Good pics, but a lot of repetetion of the same scrawny twinks that you seem to have a think for.

[SpongeG]

Hammer attacks at Pride
PRIDE / No indication of a hate crime: police

A 31-year-old man, who allegedly attacked several people with a hammer in the Davie Village at the height of this weekend's Pride celebrations, is in custody charged with 17 offenses including assault causing bodily harm.

But Vancouver police say there is thus far no indication that Sunday night's attacks were motivated by homophobia.

According to Vancouver Police Department (VPD) media spokesperson Const Jana McGuinness, Khalid Alzghoul allegedly began attacking staff and patrons at the Majestic after allegedly trying to leave the adjacent Tutti Convenience Store without paying for some items.

In a statement, McGuinness says Alzghoul, who has "some history of mental illness," entered the Majestic around 10:20 pm Aug 3 and allegedly struck a man in the head with a hammer "without warning," knocking him to the ground unconscious. :O

"He continued on what would become a spree of violent random assaults by next striking a doorman from Majestic in the head as well as three patrons on the patio," McGuinness alleges in the police statement.

"The man then fled the restaurant but not before he struck one more person in the head on the way out," she further alleges.

McGuinness says the man then headed to Characters Restaurant at the corner of Thurlow and Davie Sts and allegedly attacked two women sitting on the patio with their backs to the street, hitting them both in the head.

McGuinness says a friend of the two women then jumped the restaurant's railing and chased after the man.

At one point, McGuinness alleges the "crazed" man turned and pointed what later turned out to be an imitation handgun at the man chasing him.

"The suspect attempted to flee but was tackled by the man who was also struck in the head with the hammer," McGuinness alleges. She says police found the two men struggling near Thurlow and Davie Sts. Alzghoul was taken into custody and "an imitation firearm, two knives and a hammer were seized by police," McGuinness says.

"We're not saying that we know exactly what his motivation was," McGuinness acknowledges when asked if there's any indication that the incident was motivated by homophobia.

"I did hear that someone heard him ranting, saying a lot of things, so it's possible he could have said something," she says, adding that the police will "look into it further."

"That may just take a little time to sift through a lot of what he was saying," McGuinness notes. "I've got a call into our Hate Crime Unit to see if there is anything to substantiate anything at all."

McGuinness says while it "makes sense" to draw parallels between the alleged attacks and Pride celebrations, it might be "a bit of a stretch" at this point given what she alleges is Alzghoul's history of mental illness.

"He doesn't have much contact with the Vancouver police at all," McGuinness says, but notes that he is known to Richmond authorities and other Lower Mainland detachments.

"He doesn't have much in the way of a criminal history so this really has come out of the blue for the most part other than there's some indication that [there have been] other contacts with police that have the mental health aspect to them," she says.

Majestic co-owner Vince Marino says he doesn't think the attacks were specifically aimed at the gay community.

"We didn't see it [homophobia] and the police also don't see that," Marino says, adding, "I think it's one of these very, very random situations."

Marino says, as far as he knows, Alzghoul is known to police and "they know he has had mental illness."

One of the victims of the attack is Majestic manager Richard Chevrier, who was struck on the back of his head, and received "three or four stitches," according to Marino, who says Chevrier is doing fine.

Alzghoul, who is in police custody, was due to appear in court today.

[mr.x]

^ that's terrible.



530,000 attend Pride festivities

Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, August 05, 2008

VANCOUVER - The 30th annual Pride Parade "broke a lot of records," the president of the Vancouver Pride Society said, as nearly 530,000 people came out to the West End on Sunday.

"You only turn 30 once," said John Boychuk.

Boychuk also said the crowd has diversified since he became involved in the event five years ago.

"There are more families, kids and tourists," he said. "I'm proud of the support this community is receiving."

He said he was very happy that 100,000 participated in the beach festival, while 7,000 people were in the parade itself.

The procession included 164 parade entries, representing more than 200 organizations and businesses.

He said people were happy that the society brought San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker, the creator of the rainbow flag, to co-marshal the parade. During the parade, screams praising one of the grand marshals, Sahran Abeysundara, made the Sri Lankan break into tears, Boychuk said. "In his country you can go to jail for being gay," Boychuk said. "Be proud to be Canadian. I am."