While HIV continues to be a problem worldwide, new drug therapies have slowed the death rate in the U.S. The 1996 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law has been repealed and gays can serve openly in the military. Finally the momentum of the last great civil rights movement in the United States -- Marriage Equality -- seems to be on the side of the gay movement. France became the 14th county to approve gay marriage this month and this month in the U.S., Minnesota joined 11 other states plus the District of Columbia in Marriage Equality. All expectations are that within weeks the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and in some form disallow California’s Proposition 8 marriage ban.

With politicians -- gay and straight, police and sheriffs -- and this year for the first time the LBUSD Superintendent and Board members -- all marching in the parade, what is a Gay Pride Parade to do?

As out-gays become more mainstream -- from entertainment and sports, to marriage and children -- more children, more churches and more non-gay businesses appear to be in the parade as more gay businesses opt out. This year’s parade had more public agencies and corporations touting their gay friendly employment benefits than the traditional floats of local gay bars.

Even the shock of the West Hollywood Cheerleaders drag or the nun-like garb and make-up of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence seemed to be waning.

Thirty years later, the norm for the LB Pride parade is politicians, major corporations and a lot more straight people in the parade and watching it. If any new cause seemed to be making its way into the parade it appears that gay immigrant rights maybe the next big struggle in the parades ahead.