Leather daddies on motorcycles. Barely clothed go-go boys writhing passionately to Madonna remixes. Drag kings and queens spewing attitude to the eager masses. And now, 25 members of the Syracuse University LGBT community. For the first year ever, a unified contingent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and otherwise queer members of the SU community took part in Syracuse’s annual gay pride parade and celebration Saturday, led by Adrea Jaehnig and the university’s LGBT Resource Center. ‘It’s important that SU is represented as part of the community,’ said Jaehnig, the center’s director. She added that the simple visibility of the SU community in Central New York does much to bolster the LGBT cause. The group consisted of SU professors, employees, graduate students and alumni and marks what many hope is the start of a growing tradition. Central New York’s gay pride celebration has ballooned in recent years, though the reasons remain unclear. Members of the local community were out in force despite periods of drizzle to support the LGBT community and promote their own personal views – political, business and sheerly sexual. Groups from CNY’s gay bars and establishments made for the most visible and boisterous parade participants, followed by advocacy marchers from Syracuse organizations. Beads, candy, pamphlets and condoms came flying to the crowds lining Salina and the surrounding streets as they cheered on what was described as the most successful pride march to date in the city. The festivities were not without their detractors, however. Several men from fundamentalist Christian groups held signs and used bullhorns in an attempt to sway marchers and onlookers away from what they called the ‘homosexual lifestyle.’ One man holding an anti-LGBT sign had only this to say when asked about his purpose at the festival: ‘You (homosexuals) are an abomination in the sight of God.’ Pride Syracuse volunteers ran interference on the protestors with a large white sheet they held in front of signs to block them from view of marchers. Several volunteers also quelled protestors’ pleas on bullhorns by standing in front of them and discharging airhorns so the messages could not be heard. ‘I’m sick and tired of being discriminated against,’ said Syracuse resident Scott Chambers as he held up one side of a large white sheet to block the message on a sign held by two men on the sidewalk behind him. This was the first year pride volunteers organized a system to dampen what they consider an offensive impediment to the pride festivities. ‘This is not religion,’ Chambers said . ‘It’s totally wrong.’ Most onlookers simply disregarded the protestors and allowed their messages to go unheard and unseen, preferring instead to focus on the parade at hand. ‘I think they’re fanatics,’ Jaehnig said of the protestors. ‘I prefer not to even give them attention.’