Brynn Wimsatt woke up last Sunday saddened but not surprised.
The mass shooting that left 49 people dead in a gay nightclub in Orlando hit close to home for the 34-year-old. But Wimsatt said with "certain things going on in the world, it was only a matter of time."
"It's sad," she said. "It hurt my feelings, and it hurts my heart to know that people can have that much hate."
Less than a week after the attack, Wimsatt stood in a crowd of thousands in downtown Louisville, many of whom felt very much like her.
The mass shooting in Orlando is considered the worst in U.S. history. And while some expected it to dampen Louisville's Pride parade, it certainly didn't wash away the crowd's celebratory spirit.
Thousands marched on Main Street in downtown Louisville for the parade. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and his staff, as well as other top city administrators, joined Metro Council members, Police Chief Steve Conrad and Congressman John Yarmuth at the head of the parade.
Hundreds more people lined the streets. Some waved rainbow flags; others dressed in drag. And some just stood and smiled.
Mario Morales called the parade part memorial, part celebration.
"It's very hard," he said. "But we have to celebrate for them, and we have to celebrate for us."
Morales, 32, said the fight for equality is not over. Now, he said, it needs to be stronger than ever.
"We are equal. We are no less, we are no more."
