Pride took over Manhattan on the weekend of June 27-29. The Drag March on Friday kicked off the festivities as drag queens in outrageous outfits paraded from Tompkins Square Park to the Stonewall Inn. At the Dyke March on Saturday, thousands of fierce women proceeded down Fifth Avenue, from Bryant Park to Washington Square Park. They marched behind a huge banner stating “Dykes Say No to Fascism.”
Two marches took place on Sunday, a beautiful summer day. The traditional long running Heritage of Pride March, a spectacle with over 60 floats, started in Chelsea, went down Fifth Avenue to the Village, turned onto Christopher Street, looped around and ended in Chelsea. The Pride March attracted over a million people.
The radical and smaller Queer Liberation March started in the Village at the AIDS Memorial, went up Eighth Avenue to Lenape Circle aka Columbus Circle and dispersed into Central Park. The Queer Liberation March (QLM) was founded in 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, because activists were unhappy with the corporate takeover of the main march and the police presence. The concept was to return to the original grassroots spirit of pride. Organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, the QLM web site states: “No Cops, No Corps, No BS. ”
The events of the weekend took on more urgency as the LGBTQ community is heavily under attack by the Trump administration, especially the trans community.
And many worry about the future of same sex marriage, now legal for 10 years.
While waiting for the QLM to kick off, I took in the political signs and slogans on t-shirts: “Ask Me about the Socialist Revolution.” “Dykes against Deportation.” “Queer Liberation, not Rainbow Capitalization.” “Free Palestine, No More Genocide.” “God is Trans.” “Protect the Dolls.” I never heard that one and had to ask about it. I learned it was a call for allies to protect trans women.
As I hung out at the AIDS Memorial taking pictures and sizing up the crowd, I felt like a mainstream older gay woman in my navy blue Equality T-shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals. I looked boring. Not that anyone was judging me.
I came home, took a shower, downloaded some photos and rested. Then I went out again to watch the Pride March, (it lasts many, many hours). I found a great viewing spot on Seventh Avenue, but realized I had stupidly forgotten to charge my phone.
Having have gone to this event for over 50 years- either as a marcher or a spectator- I love the interaction between the marchers and the cheering crowds. There is nothing like the high energy and diversity at NYC Pride. It’s joyful and fun. I was surrounded by happy people of all races and sexual orientations waving rainbow flags and bouncing to the music. Many folks around me were speaking Spanish.
The woman near me had brought her little boy who was thrilled when a marcher handed him a pride flag. I was glad to see GMHC was still going strong after all these years. I cheered the NYPL contingent because I love my local library. I missed seeing Zohran Mamdani but in the video with Tish James, he jumped up and down and waved the trans flag. He was having a good time.
Photos are from the Queer Liberation March, the Pride March, and around the West Village.
