Gay Pride March (New York City)

Millions of spectators gather every year for New York's Gay Pride March.

The Gay Pride March is an annual march more commonly referred to as the Pride Parade in New York City, traversing southward down Fifth Avenue and ending at Greenwich Village. The March passes by the site of the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, location of the 1969 police raid which launched the modern Gay Rights Movement.^[1]

The first NYC Gay Pride March was held in 1970 and is the oldest gay pride parade.^[2] The March has been and will continued to be called a March not a Parade until the organizers believe there is full equality for the LGBTQ community.^[3]

The March, PrideFest (the festival) and the Dance on the Pier are the main events of Pride Week in New York City Gay Pride Week. Since 1984, Heritage of Pride (HOP) has been the producer and organizer of Pride Events in New York City.^[4]

Heritage of Pride

Main article: Heritage of Pride

The parade's organizer, Heritage of Pride (HOP), is a wholly volunteer-managed, non-partisan, tax-exempt, non-profit organization that organizes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride events in New York City to commemorate the Stonewall riots. HOP is one of the few LGBT organizations that is run at the grass-roots level. HOP welcomes the participation of all, regardless of age, creed, gender, gender identification, HIV status, national origin, physical, mental or developmental ability, race, or religion.

Grand Marshals of the NYC LGBT Pride March

2019 - Stonewall 50

In 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots will take place. Heritage of Pride is working on organizing an appropriate series of addtional events to commemorate the milestone and accomidate the expected influx of visitors to New York City from around the world.

2012

Still under consideration

2011

• Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller, It Gets Better Project.
• Rev. Pat Bumgardner of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York.
• Imperial Court of New York LGBT organization.^[5]

2010

• Constance McMillen
• Judy Shepard
• Lt. Dan Choi^[6]

2009 - Stonewall 40

2009 marked the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City. Accordingly, HOP in conjunction with NYC local government promoted the event for people from around the world to attend. Grand Marshals that year were:

• Cleve Jones
• Anne Kronenberg
• Dustin Lance Black

2008

• Gilbert Baker
• Candice Cayne
• New York Governor David A. Paterson
• New York Senator Charles Schumer ^[7]
• NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg^[8]

References

1. ^ Stryker, Susan. "Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day: 1970". PlanetOut. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080331061402/http://www.planetout.com/news/history/archive/christopher.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
2. ^ Gay Pride
3. ^ www.nycpride.org
4. ^ ABOUT HERITAGE OF PRIDE - NYC PRIDE
5. ^ "Judy Shepard to Make final official Pride Appearance & Serve as Grand Marshal of the 41st Annual NYC LGBT Pride March". April 2011. http://http://www.nycpride.org/pdf/2011_GM%20Press%20Release_FINAL.pdf. 
6. ^ McMillen Named NYC Gay Pride Grand Marshal
7. ^ http://pressphotointernational.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/senator-charles-schumer-marches-in-ny-gay-pride-parade/
8. ^ Celebrating Gay Pride and Its Albany Friend

External links

LGBT portal

• NYC Gay Pride
• NYC Gay Pride 2011 Photos