Pastor Undra Finley, left, of City of Faith Christian Church and church liaison for Tennessee Valley Pride, performs a commitment ceremony for Michael Conley, center, and Brian Rojahn, right, during the Chattanooga Pride Festival. The festival was hosted by the Tennessee Valley Pride and was a celebration of Chattanooga’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Matt McAdoo, executive director of Chattanooga CARES, speaks during the Chattanooga Pride Festival on Sunday in Miller Plaza. Chattanooga CARES is a non-profit organization that provides council, resources, education and support for those affected by HIV/AIDS.A week after controversy spread throughout Chattanooga’s gay community, a crowd of hundreds rallied downtown in a show of solidarity.
For the first time in years, not a protester was in sight for the annual celebration of gay pride.
Before the gathering in Miller Park ended, seven couples had taken part in commitment ceremonies officiated by Chattanooga ministers, and the head of the HIV resource agency Chattanooga CARES had made amends for comments made a week before to the Times Free Press.
Executive Director Matt McAdoo, who was criticized for saying that he didn’t want CARES to endorse homosexuality or to be seen just as “an organization that treats gay men with AIDS,” gave a speech that gays cheered Sunday. The Times Free Press also was criticized.
“I believe that our sexual orientation is innate,” he told the crowd. “We don’t choose our orientation. We are all born this way.”