Gay Pride Celebration 1999

Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans Pride Parade

Theme: “Revolution/Evolution” Stonewall 30

Location: Tom McCall Waterfront Park

Date: June 19, 20 1999

Rainbow flags, drag queens, family ties: A visual history of Portland's Pride Parade - oregonlive.com June weather in Oregon can be unpredictable, and there have been plenty of cloudy Pride parades featuring drizzle. But in 1999, the weather cooperated. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the theme was "Stonewall 30: Revolution-Evolution," and Portland's most-famous female impersonator Darcelle was the parade's grand marshal. "When I started in the business, we couldn't have been in the street like this. It just wouldn't have worked," Darcelle told The Oregonian. "Now they say parade. And we say, 'What color dress?' "

The 1999 parade was also about raising awareness of violence against the gay community, in the wake of the killing of Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard the previous year.