Democratic nominees Hannah Pingree and Matt Dunlap joined hundreds of Mainers celebrating diversity at Bangor’s annual Pride parade on Saturday morning.
The Pride parade, which began at the intersection of Main and Union streets at 11 a.m., comes at a difficult time for many in the LGBT+ community who are grappling with anti-trans policies at federal and local levels. In early June, a rainbow-painted crosswalk in downtown Bangor was defaced twice.
Petrichor Kneeland-Campbell, who is co-chair of Bangor Pride’s board of directors, addressed the recent vandalism in a poem read aloud at the waterfront festival after the parade.
“Tire tracks remind us: who we are, what we are doing, where we have been and are going, when we rioted, why we are still here” Kneeland-Campbell said. “Pride won’t stop. Marks and scars turn to rainbows — we won’t go back, back into the shadows, back into the closet, back to not saying gay. Rainbow colored tire treads show the world our resiliency, our hope, our joy, our power.”
The defaced crosswalk was painted near where three teenagers in 1984 killed Charlie Howard, an openly gay man who was thrown into Kenduskeag Stream despite his saying he couldn’t swim.
Saturday’s parade began with a float dedicated Indigenous members of the LGBT+ community, who were followed by a caravan of advocates for older Mainers who are part of the queer community. A few floats later, a food scrap pick up truck adorned with colorful composting bins carried a trans flag and a sign saying “compost the rich.”
Two Democratic candidates who recently clinched their party’s nominations during the June primary attended Saturday’s festivities. Hannah Pingree, who will face Republican Bobby Charles this fall to become Maine’s next governor, and State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who is running against former Gov. Paul LePage for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, both marched in the parade.
“I love celebrating a happy Pride parade,” Pingree said. “This is my fourth one, and it’s so great to see so many people from Bangor and Ellsworth coming out. The whole message is that we love our neighbors and that’s what Pride is all about.”
Miles and Renee Richards, who attend many Bangor events but say Pride is by far their favorite, were excited to have met Pingree, who introduced herself to the local couple during the parade.
Dunlap, cloaked in a rainbow flag, said he enjoyed celebrating Bangor’s diversity.
“Our communities are incredibly diverse,” Dunlap said. “There’s a lot of joy in recognizing people for who they are and meeting them where they are and celebrating that.”
An hours-long waterfront festival followed the parade, with dozens of vendors surrounding a stage featuring performances throughout the day.
Bangor police were investigating a suspicious package along the parade route late Saturday morning, but the package had been cleared by 1:30 p.m.
