Pride on display in St. Petersburg

An estimated crowd of 70,000 turned out in downtown St. Petersburg on Saturday for the Pride festival.

Several St. Pete Pride festival-goers were upset with a group protesting the event.

Some of the protesters had been in a Pinellas County courtroom last week because they were arrested at the 2007 Pride celebration.

On Saturday, the protestors followed police and city rules. But they did little to upset the estimated crowd of 70,000 enjoying the parade and festivities.

"They (protesters) are pushing buttons and they are triggering people's feelings about what we are and who we are,' said one man at the parade, who only identified himself as Chris. "We are strong and we have pride. And we have pride to let them stand there and do whatever they want."

The Georgia protesters still don't agree with the St. Petersburg city ordinance which bans signs bigger than a torso except in the free-speech area. A Pinellas County judge is still looking into whether the ordinance is constitutional.

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