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“Chicago school to march in Pride Parade”
by Chicago Tribune.com   
June 28th, 2009

Nettelhorst Elementary School to show solidarity with surrounding gay community

The black metal fence in front of Nettelhorst Elementary School is obscured by thousands of strips of dyed fabric -- yellows giving way to greens, then blues, purples and reds -- each one tied on by the small hands of a student.

The ruffled, waist-high rainbow is a symbol of the school's solidarity with its east Lakeview community, and a sign hanging by the gate trumpets that Nettelhorst this year "will be the first Chicago public school to march in the city's gay pride parade."

"We believe family means everybody," the sign reads.

Amy Goodman agrees with that. She'll be in the parade at noon Sunday with her husband, towing their 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter in a wagon bedecked in rainbows.

Brad Rossi agrees as well. He'll be there with his partner and their 7-year-old daughter, along with more than 50 other families from Nettelhorst whose presence marks the latest expansion of a parade that began in the 1970s with drag queens and gay activists and has grown to reveal the full spectrum of the city's diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

In this, the 40th annual Pride Parade, there will be gay Democrats and gay Republicans, gay business people and gay artists, seniors and teens and Christians and veterans -- and, as always, drag queens and activists.

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