On the morning of the NYC Pride March, grand marshal Bernie Wagenblast — the voice of the New York City subway system — formally kicked off the day’s festivities when she customized one of the most common phrases known to New Yorkers: “The next L, G, B, T, Q train is approaching the station. Please stand away from the platform edge!”
The remark drew roaring applause from other grand marshals at a morning press conference and served as a fitting way to begin the annual New York City Pride March and other related Pride Sunday events on June 28, which marked the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
The NYC Pride March was the main — and the biggest — event during a jam-packed Pride Sunday across Manhattan, where crowds started growing along closed-off streets hours before the march started. For some people, the day formally kicked off with PrideFest, the street festival from Astor Place to 14th Street on Fourth Avenue, complete with themed areas like BookFest, CommunityFest, FamilyFest, FoodFest, StageFest, and WellnessFest.
PrideFest opened up several hours before the beginning of the NYC Pride March or the separate Reclaim Pride Coalition’s Queer Liberation March, a grassroots march which was first held in 2019 and bans police and corporations.
Behind the barricades of the NYC Pride March, attendees huddled near the fence seeking the best view, including Cynthia Jiminez Denyse McMillion, who sat together in chairs on the edge of the parade route.
“I’m here to support my daughter,” Jiminez said. “Whatever they like in life, if they like it, I love it. As long as they like it, that’s all that matters.”
McMillion was in attendance for the first time ever.
“It feels good to be here,” said McMillion, dressed in rainbow-colored attire. “It’s a very good event. Just wonderful.”
As crowds continued to build, folks assembled for the main NYC Pride March and stepped off at 26th Street and Fifth Avenue, passed by the historic Stonewall Inn, and concluded near 15th Street and Seventh Avenue. The march was led by this year’s five grand marshals: “Pose” star Dominique Jackson, former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Peppermint, New York City subway announcer Bernie Wagenblast, actor Bowen Yang, and the activist group Gays Against Guns, followed by numerous contingents throughout the hours-long march.
The grand marshals joined a 9:30 a.m. press conference with the leaders of NYC Pride to discuss this year’s march, which was held under the theme of “For All of Us,” inspired by the late Marsha P. Johnson. Many of the grand marshals spoke of the widespread attacks on transgender individuals and the broader LGBTQ community: Former “Pose” actress Dominique Jackson listed the names of individuals who have been killed, while former “RuPaul” star Peppermint noted that public sentiment towards the community has worsened in recent years.
“I would be happy to be a grand marshal in any Pride in any city, even if I don’t live there,” Peppermint said. “But New York City, the city that I love, the city that has taken care of me, the city that I have had a lovely relationship with for decades, it is an absolute honor to be grand marshal for New York City Pride.”
Among other speakers, Christine Clifford, whose trans children’s gender-affirming care was cut at NYU Langone, called on NYC Pride to stop allowing the participation of providers who restrict trans care for youth participate in the Pride March.
Last February, Clifford said she was protesting federal cuts to trans healthcare in Washington when she was arrested.
“I got out of jail to a MyChart message from my pediatrician, saying, ‘Call me.’ Then, looking at other messages, I found out NYU had again closed its gender youth clinic. So literally at the same moment that I was protesting federal threats to my son’s healthcare, NYU capitulated to this threats and took away my son’s healthcare.”
Jay W. Walker, representing the grand marshal Gays Against Guns, noted that his group often pays tribute to the deaths of transgender individuals, and he took a moment to acknowledge that three of the five grand marshals this year are trans women.
“Especially in a moment when trans people are under attack, not just from violent bigots or intimate partner violence or from folks in their families, but are under attack from the government of this very country and the government of states all across this country.”
Like others, “Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang emphasized messages of solidarity in support of transgender individuals at a time when gender-affirming healthcare has been under attack. Yang turned to his sense of humor in closing, saying, “I’m about to do the most New York City thing, which is to get in a car and sit in traffic for an hour just to go two avenues over and nine blocks down. Happy Pride! I love you, New York!”
The press conference paved the way for the march, which kicked of at noon as one contingent after another proceeded along the parade route: Some brought loud, booming music and elaborate floats, while others carried little more than their banners, but still elicited cheers from the crowd.
The contingents ranged from non-profits to youth groups to corporations. The banner for Trans formative Schools, an trans-inclusive afterschool program, was led by a half-dozen youth who were joined by parents. Some contingents, like Lambda Legal, the Imperial Court of New York, Ali Forney Center, and the LGBT Community Center, boasted tall floats featuring pounding music, dancing, and bubbles. Corporations had particularly large contingents, including Macy’s, JP Morgan Chase, and Deutsche Bank.
See some photos below. This is a developing story. Check back later for more updates.
