Members and friends from The Fountains United Methodist Church marched in the Phoenix Pride Parade in downtown Phoenix along with six other reconciling churches in the Desert Southwest Conference of the UMC.

Among the participants were Nelda Majors and Karen Bailey, who have been together for 60 years. They are the first same-sex couple to receive their marriage license in Arizona while advocating for marriage equality.

Todd Elwood, a member of The Fountains, walked with others from the church during the parade. It was his first experience with a Pride event.

“I wasn't quite sure what to expect,” he said. “The two things I found most surprising were the overwhelming positivity of the event and an air of freedom from those in the parade, and from those watching.”

Elwood said the “air of freedom” is tougher to explain, but it seemed both spectators and participants were being their selves.

“I’m not a gay person, but I can imagine going through this day-to-day world with defenses up and partially shielding who you really are because of hateful people,” he said. “For one mile in downtown Phoenix, everyone was able to release the weight of those shields and be true to themselves, because they were among people who accepted them fully. It was amazing to witness, and it made me hope for a time when that sort of total acceptance would expand beyond a one-mile stretch once a year.”

Nine out of 10 signs emphasized goodness, instead of injustice, said Elwood.

“I saw signs saying, ‘We are all equal,’ and ‘Love everyone,’ and ‘Love wins and, of course, ‘Be proud.’

“Most everyone carried a message of acceptance and hope and joy. It’s rare today to be among such positivity and I thought it was refreshing.”