Gay Trump Supporters to Rally After Being Denied Float in Charlotte Pride Parade

CHARLOTTE, NC – Charlotte Pride is officially underway. More than 100,000 people are expected in Uptown this weekend for the festival and Sunday’s parade.

But one LGBT group says it’s being left out for supporting President Trump.

“I mean, I just couldn’t understand it,” explains Deplorable Pride organizer Brian Talbert.

Talbert says as a gay Donald Trump supporter, he feels left on the sidelines.

“They stand for inclusion, diversity, but yet they contradict their own selves by excluding me,” he says.

Deplorable Pride was refused a float in the pride parade, because it supports the President.

Now Talbert plans to take a stand.

He and other members of Deplorable Pride will hold a rally in Romare Bearden Park at 12:30pm Sunday, then march to the parade route.

“For a group to claim to be diverse, and welcoming… out of all people, for them to turn around and say that a Republican can’t be involved, it just shows that they don’t want to meet halfway,” Talbert explains.

Charlotte Pride organizer Matt Comer says his group has the right to choose who it wants in its parade.

“We value inclusion and affirmation for all members of our community, including transpeople, undocumented immigrants, and people of color. It doesn’t make sense for us to include an organization whose values don’t mesh with those,” Comer says.

“To each his own on that. I really can’t understand why they would say the gays for Trump could not come here,” says festival attendee Cecily Baker.

“Some of us are silent Trump supporters. Some of us did openly vote for Trump so why should it even matter?” she asks.