Two men married atop a float during
Wednesday's 125th annual Tournament of Roses Parade in
Pasadena, California.
The wedding went off without a hitch,
despite protests from social conservatives.
Danny Leclair, 45, and Aubrey Loots,
42, of Los Angeles exchanged vows on the float sponsored by the AIDS
Healthcare Foundation (AHF). Spectators cheered and white doves were
released after the Rev. Alfreda “Freda” Lanoix pronounced the
couple married.
After a lengthy court battle, same-sex
marriage returned to California in June.
The decision to include a gay wedding
for the first time in the Rose Parade's 125 year history prompted one
San Diego woman to organize a boycott of the parade on Facebook.
“Now gay activists want to destroy
the Rose Parade by performing a Gay Wedding on one of the floats,”
the group Boycott
the 2014 Rose Parade said on Facebook.
“I guess that's what they mean by
'Dreams come True' or is it nightmares?” the group added, a
reference to the parade's theme.
Appearing on CNN's Newsroom, the
couple addressed the controversy.
“You know everyone's entitled to
their opinion,” Loots said. “So far, for every one negative or
hateful review or posting that we've seen, there's been 2 to 3
positive. … We're getting so much love and support from around the
world, actually. So, it's very exciting.”
AHF's float won the tournament's
Isabella Coleman Award for “best presentation of color and color
harmony through floral use.”