El Paso Pride celebrates 11th annual parade

Saturday marked the eleventh annual Sun City Pride Parade and hundreds came out to march and celebrate the day.

Organizers said they’re using this years parade to celebrate LGBT acceptance in society as a whole.

“It’s a celebration of who we are, and once again it’s diversity, love, equality, we have the same rights as everybody else,” said Carlos Salais, a Sun City Pride board member.

Hundreds of parade goers turned out to downtown El Paso, starting the Sun City Pride Parade at Houston Park before marching down to San Jacinto Plaza. Colorful costumes mirroring the pride flag, the heat didn’t stop these El Pasoans from dancing in the parade. Organizers saying they don’t see LGBT acceptance taking any steps back.

“We’ll always have that support from our community, so I don’t fear and I don’t doubt that we’re always going to have this,” Salais said.

For now Salais said the Sun City LGBT community will keep celebrating and looking forward to their future.

“El Paso has come a long way, along with the rest of the country. At the end of the day it’s about love and accepting one another,” said Salais.

Pridefest, the celebration itself, will keep going on downtown next to the Coffee Box until midnight tonight.