Ocean City's annual pride parade brought color and celebration to the boardwalk this past weekend. I'm Bryan Russo. Organizers say the event carried a deeper message as this is a time of growing hostility towards LGBTQ plus communities. And as Delmarva Public Media's Colin Bright discovered, creating spaces of belonging in these communities is perhaps more important now than ever before.
Rainbow flags lined the Ocean City Boardwalk this weekend as hundreds gathered for the town's annual Pride parade, a celebration organizers say has taken on new significance amid growing hostility toward LGBTQ+ communities.
Marchers danced to pop anthems from Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, carrying signs reading "You Are Loved" and "Love Is Love".
"This is the fourth year that we've done this, and we need a time, place and space to celebrate the queer community," said Mickie Meinhardt, owner of north Ocean City's The Buzzed Word bookstore and one of the event's organizers.
Meinhardt said the parade is about visibility and creating a welcoming community in one of Maryland's most popular beach destinations.
"Everyone comes to Ocean City, gay people, straight people, and there's never been a celebration for us," she said. "It's really important to have representation and show that this is a town for everyone."
The celebration comes as LGBTQ+ advocates point to increasing political and social pressures facing queer and transgender communities nationwide. Meinhardt said that climate makes events like Pride even more important on the Eastern Shore.
"There's a lot of misinformation and a lot of hatred," she said. "Having things like this where we say, 'You're welcome here, you're safe here, there's a community for you', that's more important than ever."
For newcomers like Anthony Wartzenluft, who recently moved to the area with his husband, the parade offered a sense of belonging.
"It's good to bring the positivity side of gay rights," he said.
As the parade came to a close, marchers and supporters delivered one final message to Ocean City:
"The beach is gay!"
