St. Pete Pride celebrates marriage equality ruling

Tens of thousands in town for St. Pete Pride this weekend kicked off their festivities with an extra celebration, the landmark Supreme Court ruling finding a constitutional right to gay marriage.

A mature men's group had just gathered at the LGBT Welcome Center in the city when the ruling was announced.

Ron Spivak has been with his husband for 46 years. He tells FOX 13 he never thought the day would come when his relationship was recognized nationwide.

"It's hard to explain how emotional I am because driving over I was crying. I just was listening to the radio and just couldn't believe what I was hearing," said Spivak.

Spivak and his friends were glued to the TV to watch President Obama's remarks after the ruling.

They say St. Pete Pride could not have been a better time to hear such highly-anticipated and emotional news.

Pride extends through the weekend. A Pride 5K will be held Saturday morning at 7:30 in Gulfport and the party continues Saturday night on Central Avenue with a block party and night parade.

Organizers say they expect tens of thousands at the Pride events, which drew more than 100,000 last year.