S. Utah pride festival blossoms

SPRINGDALE - Twirling rainbow flags, men in pink boxer briefs and a troupe of boxy, purple robots added even more color to this red-rock-ringed town Saturday.
    The Southern Utah Pride Association (SUPA) held its sixth annual parade and festival this weekend in Springdale, the gateway to Zion National Park.
    About 700 people - from French tourists to Washington County locals - lined Zion Park Boulevard to watch the parade, which temporarily blocked traffic to the park.
    "Utah has queer legislators. Can you believe it?" Rep. Christine Johnson, a Salt Lake City Democrat who is openly gay, shouted to a cheering crowd.
    A 20-foot tall Barack Obama puppet, a Sarah Palin poser and a group of Stonewall Democrats followed. Josie Valdez, a Democrat hoping to be Utah's lieutenant governor, draped herself in American flags and waved to potential voters.

S. Utah pride festival blossoms
Salt Lake Tribune, United States -