Extraordinary Reception for Kerry Volunteers at Gay Pride Parade

"Fired up" hardly does justice to describe crowd reaction as scores of Kerry Volunteers marched through the streets at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, July 27.

Preparation for the big event came from the ChicagolandforKerry Advisory Board (AB), from the DNC and from local organizers like Andy Szekeres.

The procession itself was led by Elizabeth Birch, formerly of Human Rights Campaign (HRC), driven in a yellow sports car by AB Chair, Victor Barry.

Participants included local volunteers from Chicago, the Northern Suburbs and points further a field. Participants either carried signs or distributed stickers. Everyone chanted, hooped and hollered.

The crowd was estastic. At every intersection, rows of spectators, often 4 deep, eagarly repeated calls such as "Two, Four, Six, Eight, Vote for Kerry, End the Hate" or the far more simple (though equally heartfelt), "Kerry, Kerry, Kerry!"

Signs and stickers were in abondance. Once the Kerry Volunteers swept through, every other person was wearing the familiar blue John Kerry lapel sticker.

See Photo Gallery.