Rainbow connection
PRIDE ON PARADE
A RAINBOW OF New Yorkers hit the streets with more pride than ever Sunday, celebrating the city’s LGBT community with a spirited parade, the first in the new era of President Trump.
With multihued banners, and multifaceted backgrounds, the city’s annual Pride March sauntered along Fifth Ave. carrying a message of fortitude forged by the fire of prejudice.
“This is a moment where we have to really be there for each other in this city and in this country,” said Mayor de Blasio.
“The LGBT community contributes so much to this city. It’s part of what makes New York City great. But I want to be real. There’s been an uptick in bias incidents, even bias attacks. People are feeling pride, but they’re also worried about the atmosphere that’s been created over the last year or so in this whole nation.
“This is why this Pride (March) takes on a special meaning,” he added. “It’s about being there for each other, protecting the whole community. We’ve got more work to do. There’s always work to do on reducing discrimination and on fighting bias.”
Gov. Cuomo echoed the mayor’s sentiment, backing up his LGBT support by touting the confirmation of Paul Feinman, the first openly gay judge to serve on the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.
“This is the state that passed marriage equality,” Cuomo told the colorful crowd. “I was the governor who was honored to sign that bill. And I think that made a difference all across the country. And I think this appointment of an openly gay person to the Court of Appeals is another sign of that progress and that acceptance.
“And at a time when this nation seems to be getting angrier and more fearful and talking about building walls, New York is still talking about building bridges and bringing people together.”
Grand marshals for the Pride March included Brooke Guinan — the first openly transgender female FDNY firefighter — and Geng Lee, a leader for LGBT rights in China.
Guinan, 29, spoke of the need to speak out in the face of discrimination.
“Visibility has always been one of the most influential tools that we have to combat the ignorance and hatred and violence that our community faces,” Guinan said.
Mikaela Barish, 28, of Bushwick, Brooklyn, who held a sign that said, “Two moms make a right,” said she was at the march to support her sister and her sister’s wife, who are trying to have their first child.
“I’m here to march for my sisters, who are the most amazing, wonderful couple in the world,” Barish said. “It affects me very personally because my sister’s sexual orientation tore my family apart, and I know how it feels, and I just want to be here to support her. It took my sister a while to be OK with everything because of how my family was, and I’m very proud of her.”
Luis Bucheli, 31, of Jackson Heights, Queens, said of the parade, “It’s happiness. It’s love. We’re marching for a reason. It’s for rights, but it’s also for fun.”
The Pride March began in 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots, when members of the LGBT community protested a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village.
Police said 12 people were arrested at Sunday’s parade and charged with disorderly conduct. Cuomo, meanwhile, unveiled the design for New York’s official monument honoring the LGBT community, those lost in the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting last June, and all victims of hate, intolerance and violence. The monument, designed by artist Anthony Goicolea, will be located on the western edge of Greenwich Village, in Hudson River Park near Pier 51. The design features a series of modified boulders layered with refractory laminated glass that will act as prisms to create subtle rainbow patterns on the surrounding lawn and nearby objects.
“This monument will serve as a communal space filled with light, color and hope, where the visitors can sit, mourn, love and remember for years to come,” Goicolea said.
Mona Fastvold, 36, of Chelsea, came to the march to spread hope to her 2-year-old daughter and the child’s 3-year-old best friend.
“It’s one of the most beautiful days in New York,” Fastvold said. “New York is all about diversity.
“It’s so lovely to take our kids to see this. It’s all about love. They’ll see there are all these different ways they can grow up to be. They can love whoever they want.”