The parade drew more than 100,000 spectators and participants.Īctor George Takei, who played in the 'Star Trek' TV show and movies and is now an activist for gay and civil rights, was celebrity grand marshal of the Seattle parade.Ī year ago, the U.S. had one of the largest corporate presences, and chief executive Tim Cook greeted the estimated 4,000 employees and family members who participated. In San Francisco, hundreds of motorcyclists of the lesbian group Dykes on Bikes took their traditional spot at the head of the 44th annual parade and loudly kicked off the festivities with a combined roar. Spectators cheer during the San Francisco Gay Pride Festival in California June 29, 2014. The parade route passes The Stonewall Inn, the site of the riots. The parade marked the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the 1969 uprising against police raids that were a catalyst for the gay rights movement. Andrew Cuomo were among those walking along a lavender line painted on the avenue from midtown Manhattan to the West Village. Politicians including Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. New York's Fifth Avenue became one giant rainbow as thousands of participants waved multicolored flags while making their way down the street.