7/26/2023 0 Comments Mutiny bikes randy taylor![]() The street and sidewalks here are narrow and crowds are thick, but it’s the best place to feel the tremendous energy of NYC Pride. Once the route crosses 6th Avenue, the march heads into the West Village along Christopher Street passing the Stonewall National Monument and landmarked Stonewall Inn bar. FYI the official Pride grandstand is at 8th Street, and seats have already sold out but that corner is prime viewing territory for the parade’s dazzling performances, just arrive early for a good vantage point. This first mile-long segment serves up the thinnest crowds and clearest views of hundreds of participating groups and countless floats, bands, dancers, and marchers. Here’s a rundown of best places and tips for watching the parade and catching other NYC Pride-weekend events. And after a full slate of Pride Month events, as many as two million spectators are expected to turn out for the March, themed “Strength in Solidarity.” Heritage of Pride organizers are working closely with the city’s police and fire departments and other key agencies to ensure safety for everyone along the 1.5-mile route. Still, this is New York City, where diversity and inclusion are celebrated like nowhere else. But the backsliding on some of America’s basic civil liberties have sounded an alarm bell for the LGBTQ+ community, underscoring the urgency of political action and civil protections at this year’s Pride and beyond. In 2023, one might expect more than a half-century’s worth of progress-including marriage equality in America and 33 other countries-means that Pride Month is more of a celebration. That era brought other protests in cities like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles-the latter even launched the Personal Rights in Defense and Education, aka “P.R.I.D.E.,” a gay political organization in 1966. After all, the whole concept of pride was born from radical civil-rights events, most famously NYC’s 1969 Stonewall uprising. Though colloquially called the “New York Pride parade,” Heritage of Pride organizers honor its LGBTQ+ protest-movement roots and embrace it as the Pride March. And while out-and-proud festivals and events take place around the globe all month, in New York City, the whole scene culminates with the 53rd annual NYC Pride March, this year on Sunday, June 25. National Pride Month brings moments of contemplation, commemoration, and celebration. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual orientations and gender identities, U.S. Across America and the world, June means celebrating Pride.
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