Adam MacKay grew up in Utah, a place where, for many, to be different is to be judged.

So he had a lot to say Sunday after his extraordinary experience helping carry the Gay Latter-day Saints Network banner in the Utah Pride parade Sunday. A first-time participant, MacKay talked about the surprised tourist from New York who bumped into him at a Pride event after a visit to Temple Square, and the many fellow Mormons he knows are afraid to be who they are.

"Just to hear the cheers for being different is exhilarating," he said. "It's overwhelming but exhilarating."

Sunday's parade offered the all-American excitement one would expect from any mid-sized city - maybe just a bit more flirty and rainbow-colored. And this year's Pride parade was bigger than ever, with 10,000 people converging downtown, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Judith Zwierzycki, a Realtor, watched the hourlong procession from a beach chair in front of the Federal Building. Her husband took pictures nearby. A friend's 5-year-old exclaimed gleefully about the glittery "princesses" drifting by on the floats who were "real" regardless of their gender.

"I would call it a diverse, family event," said Zwierzycki. "This is Americana, watching people entertain and be who they are."

Lesa Moree, a Los Angeles transplant also observing from a beach chair, said she was happy her daughter would experience this sort of diversity in a place known more for its conservative values.

"I am in support of people's rights," said Moree. "These people are pretty brave."

No doubt many of the people who turned out for the parade, a highlight of the three-day Utah Pride festival that ended Sunday, relished the opportunity to celebrate differentness of all kinds - not just the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual Utahns the parade highlighted.

Some said they were happy to be there to support family, friends and everyone else who doesn't quite fit the mainstream Utah mold.

Sure, the drag queen dressed in Pipi Longstocking red braids, a pink, paisley minidress and purple platform boots raised a few eyebrows. And maybe the lesbian motorcycle club and the Speedo-clad swim club, too.

But this parade was lots like any other.

People of all ages and colors lined the streets and cheered for the church-sponsored floats that passed. They applauded the hoola girls and a pom-pom squad.

The music was loud - heavy on electro-pop nightclub music.

Businesses like Wells Fargo and Delta Air Lines touted their support.

Perry de Vlugt led the 40-person Delta contingent, which tossed into the crowd Mardi Gras beads in the company's red-white-and-blue colors.

He noted the airline, which operates a hub in Salt Lake City, serves a diverse population in all 50 states.

"This is our way of showing support for them and our employees," he said.

Politicians marched, too, including Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and at least five of the candidates vying for election to his seat this fall, both Republicans and Democrats.

State Sen. Scott McCoy marched alongside the Ralph Becker for Mayor float, a horse-drawn hearse, from which three other Salt Lake City Democratic legislators waved to the crowd. Having fought back the Legislature's latest attempt to restrict gay-support clubs this year, McCoy said he wished other Utah lawmakers could see how many of their own constituents were represented by Sunday's Pride crowd.

"The state is made up of many different people," he said. "This is all of us, together in one place."

The parade's grand marshal was John Amaechi, a former Utah Jazz player from Britain. Since it is his first appearance in the U.S. since coming out as gay - a first for professional basketball in the U.S. - he said it was a "little bizarre" to be presiding over the event.

But he added: "It's great for the city. It's about time people realize the diversity" in a place most people see as homogenous.

MacKay, the Gay LDS banner-holder, smiled broadly at the parade's end.

"It was extraordinary to see so much support, because growing up, there was no support," he said.

Brian Benington, who also held the banner, pointed out the shift has been gradual but welcomed.

"You can be who you are," said MacKay, still smiling. "That's a good way to put it."

fahys@sltrib.com