S. Utah pride festival blossoms

[Tom Dempsey]

S. Utah pride festival blossoms

By Rosemary Winters
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 09/28/2008 02:05:42 AM MDT

Right Casey Wilson (waving the flag) and Liberty Doyle (far... (Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune )

SPRINGDALE - Twirling rainbow flags, men in pink boxer briefs and a troupe of boxy, purple robots added even more color to this red-rock-ringed town Saturday.
   
The Southern Utah Pride Association (SUPA) held its sixth annual parade and festival this weekend in Springdale, the gateway to Zion National Park.
   
About 700 people - from French tourists to Washington County locals - lined Zion Park Boulevard to watch the parade, which temporarily blocked traffic to the park.
   
"Utah has queer legislators. Can you believe it?" Rep. Christine Johnson, a Salt Lake City Democrat who is openly gay, shouted to a cheering crowd.
   
A 20-foot tall Barack Obama puppet, a Sarah Palin poser and a group of Stonewall Democrats followed. Josie Valdez, a Democrat hoping to be Utah's lieutenant governor, draped herself in American flags and waved to potential voters.
   
SUPA President Chris McArdle hoped the event - the group's biggest yet - would finally provide the momentum and cash needed to launch St. George's first gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community center. He won't know until next week how much money was raised through sales of the festival's $15 tickets.

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