LGBT entries marched in Freedom Festival Parade

The Provo Freedom Festival routinely rejected any entries from LGBT groupos to march in the July 4 parade, however this year the applicants sailed throughw without any strife or fanfare.

Last year the group issued a nondiscrimination policy that included sexual orientation (yet excluded gender identity), and then immediately denied several LGBTQ organizations from marching in the annual parade.

Then in an astonishing last-minute turn of events that included the threat of retraction of festival funding, five LGBT groups marched in last year’s parade.

This year, four of those groups were accepted to march in either the parade or pre-parade.

Mormons Building Bridges co-founder Erika Munson told the Daily Herald that she had some concern that there could still be some discomfort on the part of parade organizers with LGBT entries this year. However, when everything was approved without a hitch this year, all she felt was relief.

“I don’t want last-minute press conferences and tense meetings,” Munson said. I can do without that, thank you very much.”