If you want to know the state of queer joy in 2025, there’s no better place to check the pulse than the sidewalk outside The Stonewall Inn during the New York City Pride March. Amid a technicolor sea of mesh, glitter, body paint, and at least three people wearing “I Love Lesbians” crop tops (yours truly included), we caught up with the loud, proud, and beautifully chaotic crowd to ask the big questions: What advice would you give your younger queer self? Who is your favorite controversial queer icon? And what is the gayest bodega order? Spoiler alert: the answers were just as bold, unfiltered, and fabulous as the fits.
Below are some highlights of the best responses to our rapid-fire, chaos-inducing questions — but first, watch our video interviews:
View this post on Instagram
What is the gayest subway line?
“The F. I love taking the f*g train!” —Julian, any pronouns
“The L train, because that’s where all the gay people are. They’re all going down to Bushwick.” —Jason, he/him
“The F or the seven. The seven is purple. I feel like that’s gayer than any of the other colors.” —Ellie, she/her
“The L train, because a lot of lesbians live around that neighborhood, so we named it the lesbian train.” —C.D. she/her
Who is your favorite controversial queer icon? And you can’t say Jojo Siwa.
“My favorite controversial queer icon is Courtney Love. I love Courtney Love.” —Ellie, she/her
“George Santos. I don’t like him, but he’s funny.” —Aditi, they/them
“Does Marilyn Manson kind of count?” —Julian, any pronouns
What’s the gayest bodega order you can think of?
“Anything with scallion cream cheese. That feels super gay to me.” —Ellie, she/her
“Chopped cheese on a roll with grilled onions.” —Jason, he/him
“Probably a bacon, egg, and cheese with avocado because it has all the colors of the flag.” —Leo, he/him
“Rye bread and a Celsius.” —Julian, he/him
“Nothing on an English muffin. I can tell you that for sure.” —Aditi, they/them
“Probably any kind of smoothie!” —Emma, she/her
What would your drag name be?
“Silly bitch. I like to smile.” —C.D., she/her
“Tonya Lasagna.” —Levi, he/they
“I actually do have a drag name. Raquel!” —Ricky, he/him
Finish this sentence. “You know you’re at NYC Pride when…”
“When you can hear the sound of the fans clapping.” —Ellie, she/her
“You see some ass.” —Maddie, she/her
“When you see some t*tties out, honestly. I’ve been seeing them a lot today.” —Shannon, she/they
“When we boo Eric Adams.” —Julian, any pronouns
What advice would you give to your younger queer self?
“You like to kiss girls! Realize this sooner!” —Emma, she/her
“The closet is not always closed. You can always ask for help when you need it. You can always reach out to friends if your family is not very supportive of you.” —Leo, he/him
“It sounds cliché, but it gets better…Push through, and eventually you will find your people.”
“Live la vida loca.” —Julian, any pronouns
The energy in front of Stonewall was electric at Pride 2025, just like it was 56 years ago on that fateful June evening. From Tonya Lasagna to scallion cream cheese, our wacky, sweaty, glitter-covered community isn’t going anywhere. And as the sun sets on NYC Pride 2025, one thing is clear: queer joy isn’t just alive. It’s strutting, voguing, and reminding us all to live la vida loca.
