Hundreds gather at Nebraska Capitol to celebrate Lincoln’s third Pride parade

The rainbow came before the rain at Lincoln’s third annual Pride parade Saturday morning.

The Star City Pride Parade started at 9:30 a.m. Saturday around the state Capitol — nearly three weeks after Gov. Jim Pillen signed LB574 into law, restricting access to abortions and gender-affirming care for minors. 

The rain held up as hundreds wrapped around the Capitol and as the parade passed by twice in about 30 minutes. From motorcycles and drag queens to puppies and balloons, nearly 40 groups participated in the parade.

Andrew Farias, community outreach coordinator for Star City Pride Events said the event was a success. This was his second year attending the parade and his first time on the Board of Directors.

“It’s really phenomenal for Star City Pride Events to be visibly present,” Farias said. “Especially around the Nebraska state Capitol, which is a very central part of Lincoln. I think that it’s really vital that we are visible, that we’re present, not just to the queer community but to the city of Lincoln as a whole.”

Signs reading “You Can’t Erase Us” and “You Are Safe Here” were plentiful around the crowds. Beaded necklaces, pride stickers, candy and ‘mom hugs’ were handed out to supporters of all ages in attendance.

Kendra Carlson of Lincoln was one of the many moms at the parade handing out hugs. She attended the parade on behalf of her nonbinary teenager.

“It’s the least I can do, and if I get to hug anybody today, I’ll tell them that they’re perfect,” Carlson said. “I have a kid that I have the privilege of supporting and I know how hard it is still for them. I can’t imagine and it breaks my heart that anybody, even if their mom has passed or is not with them, doesn’t have that kind of support.”

This was Carlson’s second time attending the Pride parade in Lincoln.

“I’m relieved that it wasn’t disturbed and also I can feel people holding back,” Carlson said. “I totally get it, people have to protect themselves. I miss the indigenous people. We just do the best we can and hopefully next year will be a lot better and a lot safer.”

Those in support of the parade came from surrounding areas as well including Emma Radziunas from Bellevue. She walked in the parade with the Omaha Pride Guard for her second time.

“It was just so exciting seeing everyone coming together and just celebrating who we are and just having fun,” Radziunas said. “Especially with everything going on, it’s just nice to have a little happy moment.”

Other organizations also attended the parade such as St. Paul United Methodist Church, NRC Health, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Winslow’s Wardrobe, Zoetis, Star City Chorus and the parade sponsor, Ameritas.

Bryson Cole and Ben VandeVere walked with St. Paul United Methodist Church in flashy gold outfits expressing the community they love. VandeVere, a cosplay artist, spent nearly 100 hours creating the shiny gold costumes.

“I really wanted it, of course, to be fabulous because we wanted to celebrate here with pride,” VandeVere said. “The whole point for me with pride is that it’s such a heightened level of expression that we get to show and emulate consistently throughout the day.”

VandeVere has attended the parade each year and has spent the past two years walking in it. He said that each year, the crowd seems to grow in numbers.

“It’s always so heartwarming to see the amount of love that is still persistent,” VandeVere said. “We’re not going to be able to continue pushing forward and progressing through this nasty war that we have to fight if we don’t remember why we’re doing it and come back and feel the love.”

As for Bryson, this was his first time in the parade and was glad to see the young children in attendance supported by their parents.

“It’s always so nice to see the support, not just from the queer community, but all the allies who come out to support you,” Bryson said. “At the end of the day, it’s about love.”