Columbia College students get proud.

This year’s Pride march stepped off at noon from Finlay Park in Columbia, and wound up Main, down Gervais in front of the State House and up Gadsden back to the park – a fair jaunt. Folks on foot and on floats did their best to keep up with the motorcycles setting the pace, a feat made even more challenging by the blistering heat. Sweaty but spirited, the marchers finally emptied into the park, where the stage was set, music was thumping and vendors readied their wares.

Our crew turned out in a big way. Besides GLPM, which organized the event, other Network members staffing tables were the SC Equality Coalition, Alliance for Full Acceptance, Carolina Peace Resource Center, Garden of Grace United Church of Christ, SC NOW, PALSS and P-FLAG. Network Co-chair Rev. Bennie Colclough was invited to speak. He was among the few in the African American church to support the gay community in fighting the marriage amendment last year, and has continued to work on their behalf. He fired up the crowd using skills honed as a preacher and a union organizer.

GLPM began the program by recognizing Mayor Bob Coble, calling him one of the city’s longest serving and most popular mayors. Under his leadership, Columbia was the first city in the state of South Carolina to include sexual orientation in the city’s non-discrimination policy for municipal employees. In 2006, when Charlotte NC Mayor Patrick McCrory refused to offer a welcome at the annual Human Rights Campaign dinner in Charlotte, Mayor Bob showed up to offer a welcome instead. Classy guy.

The headline speaker was Jonathan Jackson, a USC graduate and five-year Army veteran who was deployed to Baghdad for a year. During the campaign against the amendment, he interned for SCEC and the Fairness for All Families campaign. You can see the full line-up here.

The party lasted until five, just in time to pack it in before the skies opened up and let loose some blessedly needed rain on the Midlands.

It was a great turn-out, great vibe, great time. Congratulations to our friends Bruce Converse and Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge, who deftly emceed, and to all the organizers at GLPM for a job well done.

AFFA marches past the State House.

For more Pride 2007 photos, click here.