Gay Pride Parade
Starts at 5th Avenue and 52nd Street
New York, NY 10014
Gay Pride in New York might not be the largest event of its kind, but it is definitely the most treasured one and it holds a very special place in the heart of the LGBT community of New York and beyond.
It is indeed in New York that the concept of Gay Pride started, as a commemoration of the Stonewall riots which have now come to be regarded as the defining moment in the history of the LGBT civil right movement.
In an era where conservative forces have experienced a renewed influence on the political institutions across the country, and where other communities are struggling to organize Gay Pride marches in cities such as Moscow or Jerusalem, it is especially heartwarming to witness the unrelenting vigor of the LGBT movement in New York and its wide support from the city's population and elected officials.
The Pride March is the culmination of a weeklong series of events, drawing every year on the third Sunday of June over a million people out on the street of New York to celebrate the diversity and vitality of New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community.
Admittedly, New York is a place where it feels great to be out and proud all year long, but on that special day, it feels like the whole city is infused with the spirit of Pride. The streets are swept in an irresistible wave of queerness: Uber-buff Chelsea boys, their bulging pecs barely contained in skimpy tank-tops, are spotted in droves popping up across town, subway cars are suddenly packed with colorful bunches of lesbians waving rainbow flags and fierce latino kids putting the finishing touch to their outfits, gearing up to take the streets by storm. Thugged-out Homeboys that looked like they were after some shady business are turning into raging butch queens the minute they step foot on Christopher Street and start vogueing their way to the Hudson River Piers.
You can almost feel a fresh breeze of gay-friendliness blowing through the streets of Manhattan, clearing the thick and humid summer atmosphere, and watch a rainbow rise above the Statue of Liberty.
The March follows an immutable path from 55th street and down 5th avenue to Christopher Street. It starts at 12 pm promptly, in a quite orderly and serious fashion with political figures, long time activists and the parade's grand Marshall opening the way. The crowd massed along the sidewalks of 5th avenue is also quite mixed, with straight families, tourists and the many passer-bys drawn by the animation on the avenue.
The ambient queer factor builds up as the cortege makes its way towards 14th street, spreading along its path a communicative feeling of euphoria. The spirit of Pride reaches a peak when the procession turns to Christopher Street and moves into the West Village, passing by the site of the famous Stonewall Inn, there where it all began on a summer night of 1969.
The excitement in the street is palpable
Residents of Christopher street who have opened their homes for friends to watch the parade, are standing out in grapes, crammed on the fire escape, cheering, applauding and throwing confetti at the marchers.
The crowd down on the sidewalk is an incredible mixture of people from all horizons, colors, ages and genders. Fierce lesbians, fem boys, leather daddies, circuit boys, homo thugs, banji boys, sexy twinks, baby dykes, Spanish papis are packing streets of the West Village, celebrating in a festive and fraternal atmosphere. It is an incredibly empowering occasion where all the different faces of our community get together in one place, brought together by the spirit of Pride in a beautiful celebration of life.
