Yes, sadly there is a *need*, but there shouldn't be one.
Perhaps if the LGBT community were able to be "relaxed about the way (they) are", they'd not feel the need for the parade. Unfortunately, many people still feel - I'll say "unsettled", to be polite - by their presence that it is necessary.
When those people wake up & realise it's the 21st century & that there's nothing wrong with being "different" (it's usually "straight" people that use that word, in a derogatory fashion), then the LGBT community mightn't feel the need to remind everyone that they exist.
Paradoxically, that would be a shame though, it's a colourful, happy, enjoyable time for everyone - or it *should* be.