South Bay celebrates Silicon Valley Pride Parade

The Silicon Valley Pride Parade passed through, celebrating more than 40 years of pride in the South Bay. James Torrez reports

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The streets of downtown San Jose were full of color Sunday morning.

The Silicon Valley Pride Parade passed through, celebrating more than 40 years of pride in the South Bay.

Stephanie Mufson parked her car and float near the parade route around six Sunday morning. As the owner of the Parade Guys, she and her company were hired to build a float for Bill.com.

"I think this one is really just all about being celebratory and having a bright presence," Mufson said as she stood next to the bright orange float.

"Their colors are orange and white, so we made sure to pull a lot of their colors but obviously it's all about the rainbows, diversity and inclusion and all that good stuff."

The parade kicked off with a shark themed monster truck painted on a San Jose Fire engine. More than 80 groups marched the route, but the entire celebration is on a much smaller scare compared to the event in San Francisco.

In San Jose, the parade goes back to 1975. It started as a gay rights movement, then added on the parade in 1977.

A number of researchers and clinicians from Stanford Medicine came out to the parade; it was their first time marching.

"It's the acceptance and the joy," said Ann-Marie Yap. She's chair of Stanford Medicine's Pride Employee Resource Group "How it's grown so much, I just tear up. Because it means we're accepted and we're part of this community."

They took their opportunity to talk to community members and educate people on the ongoing monkeypox outbreak.

Among marchers, San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo in suspenders riding a bicycle. While the celebration appears smaller than its San Francisco counterpart, some say they like it that way.

"The Silicon Valley Pride Parade definitely feels like a hometown parade," said Mufson.

"I bring my family to this one because it's so friendly," echoed Yap.