Augusta Pride draws diverse crowd of thousands

Augusta residents Suzanne and Stephanie Venable marched in the parade with daughter Willow, age 3, and a sign that read “1 Mama + 1 Mom + 1 Baby = Happy Family.”

They then canvassed the festival collecting names of other people with children in hopes of starting a local group for gay parents.

“It shows that our families are normal — well, normal but with rainbows!” they noted, laughing.

The diverse crowd enjoyed performances from headliners Thea Austin, who invited Pride goers to dance onstage with her; Chad Michaels, who drove the crowd wild as Cher; and Frenchie Davis, who returned to Augusta Pride after headlining the city’s first-ever Pride back in 2010.

Handed rainbow beads from a fan, Davis joked about being a lesbian with fashion sense, mentioned her wife, and thrilled to be back performing for “our community.”

 

Top photo: Frenchie Davis (file)