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Estimated 50,000 people descended on Indy for 2019 Pride Parade & Festival

Posted at 8:10 PM, Jun 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-08 20:10:48-04

INDIANAPOLIS — Thousands of people took to the streets of Indianapolis on Saturday to take part in the IndyPride Parade and Festival.

Parade organizers say they had more than 150 floats in this year's parade, which lasted over two hours and an estimated 50,000 people lined the streets and participated in the event.

PHOTOS | 2019 IndyPride Parade & Festival

The four grand marshals for this year's parade were State Senator J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis; former Roncalli guidance counselor, Shelly Fitzgerald; dance party organization, Low Pone; and Trinity Haven Indy, Indianapolis' first transitional home for LGBTQ youth.

IndyPride President Chris Handberg says the four were chosen for their contributions to the community over the past year, but there's still more to do.

"I think we had made great progress," Handberg said. "We can be open more at work, and with our families, but we still have a long way to go for acceptance. The discrimination we face today is more subtle now as LGBTQ people. We know that transgender families still face an incredible amount of discrimination from top leaders in our country to the statehouse, to in their jobs and in their communities."