Gay Pride Parade Expected To Draw More Than 1 Million
The 39th annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride parade stepped off at noon Sunday on Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street. The march, which is New York City's largest, then followed the Lavender Line to its conclusion at the intersection of Christopher Street and Greenwich Street.More than 300 organizations and 500,000 marchers were expected to participate in the march, and more than 1 million were expected to watch them go by.
Led by Grand Marshals Gilbert Baker and Candis Cayne, the New York City LGBT Community Center and PFLAG NYC (Parents, Families and Friends of Gays and Lesbians), the march included floats, marching bands, and representatives from more than 300 LGBT organizations and businesses from all over the Northeast.
Members of New York's gay community are using the Gay Pride parade to praise Gov. David Paterson for his executive order saying New York will recognize same-sex marriages from other states. The legally blind Paterson, one day after eye surgery, drew cheers as he joined the throng for Sunday's annual march down Fifth Avenue from Midtown to Greenwich Village.
New York City's annual Pride March began in 1970 as a commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The march has since grown to become the oldest and one of the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender events.
Over the years, its purpose has broadened to include recognition of the fight against AIDS and to remember those who have been lost to the illness, violence and neglect. It has also evolved to include being a celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual transgender lives and the community. A moment of silence was observed at 2 p.m.But the march is just the beginning. Dance 22, the Dance on the Pier, begins at 4:00 p.m. at Pier 54.
This year's deejays were Tracy Young and Joe Gauthreaux.The Dance on the Pier is Heritage of Pride's largest fundraiser of the year.
Original Source : http://www.wnbc.com/news/16740616/detail.html
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