NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Over 50,000 people attended the second biggest Pride parade in the Tri-State area on Sunday in Queens, New York City’s largest and most diverse borough.
The streets of Jackson Heights were decorated with rainbow flags as the 12 p.m. parade began at 37th Avenue and 89th Street, and down the parade route to 75th Street spectators were dressed for the occasion.
“Just being fabulous like we are! Just a lot of colors, a lot of shouting, dancing and being happy,” Ernesto, director of outreach and impact for the LGBT Network told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
“With all the backlash we have in the LGBT community and all the harassment that we suffer, it is more important than ever that we work to have this kind of visibility,” he continued.
The Lexington School for the Deaf, located in East Elmhurst, was involved in the Pride parade for the second year. Toby was in attendance with the school, and broke down the importance of advocacy.
“With everything, lots of pushback in the country about LGBT topics in schools and that kind of thing, we’re definitely, you know, trying to push back against that and represent our community,” he said.
The New Queens Pride parade began in 1993 as both a celebration of identity and act of defiance in the face of rising hate crimes, building on the principles of holding Pride events, beginning on the one-year anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
“I am so looking forward to being with over 50,000 people tomorrow, smiling, waving rainbows, you know being able to celebrate truly and authentically, to see the great diversity, the rich diversity that New Queens Pride brings, as we’re in the world’s borough,” president of the LGBT Network David Kilmnick told 1010 WINS on Saturday ahead of the event.
After the parade ended, a multicultural festival began celebrating the diversity of the world’s borough with live music and dancing.
“We show up, and we come in the masses,” one attendee told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880. “So we take over and it’s just incredible to see all the different communities come and celebrate Pride no matter where you’re from, how you identify. It’s just a lot of love, a lot of joy.”