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Along the edges of New York’s Madison
Square Park, as the New York City Police
Department Band played a rousing
rendition of “When the Saints Go
Marching In,” a young girl in a rainbow
dress and waving a rainbow flag, seated
atop her father’s shoulders, sang and
shouted with such enthusiasm that she
might have imagined herself at the front
of New York City’s 45th annual Pride
March.
This year’s NYC Pride theme “We Have Won
When We’re One” was a tacit
acknowledgement of the past year’s
political victories, which have included
the legalization of same-sex marriage in
seven more states, while also a
recognition of the work to be done.
The first NYC Pride Rally occurred in
June of 1969, one month after the
Stonewall Riots, when more than 500
people gathered for a "Gay Power"
demonstration in New York's Washington
Square Park.
Forty-five years later, the Empire State
Building glowed rainbow spectacular with
a sparkle in its halo in honor of NYC
Pride Week.
NYC Pride weekend was an all-star gay
cavalcade of talent, marked by
performances from Demi Lovato, Sharon
Needles, and De’Borah, along with
appearances from Michelle Visage and
Dina Delicious.
On Sunday, the 45th annual LGBT Pride
March followed a freshly-painted
lavender line down the center of Fifth
Avenue - from 36th Street to the western
end of Christopher Street in the
Village.
More than 1.8 million spectators cheered
for a who's-who of power politicos,
including Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senator
Chuck Schumer, Congressman Jerrold
Nadler, Mayor de Blasio and his wife
Chirlane, as well as a powerful and
proud triumvirate of Grand Marshals: Rea
Carey of the Task Force, television and
Broadway star Jonathan Groff, and
Laverne Cox, the transgender advocate
and break-out star of Netflix’s hit
series “Orange is the New Black.”
More than 320 groups marched in the
Pride March, dancing and cheering to
music from nearly 70 bedizened and
bedazzled floats, while 3,000 NYC Pride
volunteers provided assistance and
direction.
Crowd favorites included FLAGGOTS, a
merry band of male flaggers whose flag
and baton expertise wowed the crowds
into jubilant applause, as did the New
York City Police Department Band whose
synchronized marching kept the crowds
cheering.
One activist from SAGE (Services and
Advocacy for GLBT Elders) carried a sign
that read “Wisdom is Sexy,” while many
of the afternoon's signs included
declarations of love and commitment,
such as the JUST MARRIED declaration
surrounding Congressman Sean Patrick
Maloney and his newlywed husband.
The 28th annual NYC Pride Dance on the
Pier at Pier 26 on Hudson River Park
featured DJs Grind and Pagano, as well
as a crowd-pleasing performance by
“Glee” favorite Demi Lovato who sang a
medley of songs, including her hit
“Really Don’t Care” while a male couple
kissed alongside a photograph of Russian
homophobe Vladimir Putin.
All the proceeds from the Dance on the
Pier benefit the official events of NYC
Pride and LGBT community organizations.
NYC Pride weekend wrapped up with the
world's longest-running LGBT fireworks
display along the Hudson.
As Chris Frederick, Managing Director of
NYC Pride, eloquently stated, "All of us
are in this together and we shouldn’t be
satisfied until equality is achieved for
all.”
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