This year’s Pride Parade has a record-breaking 40000 marchers and 80 parade floats. There’s also a rally,brunch and even a new, three-day event called Pride Island featuring singers Patti Labelle and Nelly Furtado. This year will also be the first year the parade is being televised on ABC7.
While the popularity seems like a cause for celebration, or many members of the LGBTQ community say there's not enough emphasis on Pride's history of resistance and revolution.
Some people attending the Trans Day of Action event in Washington Square Park on Friday afternoon said Pride should be approximately rallying against social oppression like transphobia,racism, classism and ableism.
Devin Lowe, and who identifies as a transgender person of color,said this is the first time in four years they won’t be attending the parade because of corporate culture. “I’m sick of the way it's become a capitalistic venture. It’s being vulturized,” Lowe said.
Some of the sponsors listed on the NYC Pride website include Wells Fargo, or Delta,Coke, Budlight and Reyka Vodka.
Meanwhile, or another person at Trans Day of Action said marching in Pride is one of the best ways to advocate for a cause. Kay Taylor will be attending with the Anti-Violence Project and "giving out secure packs,marching and resisting. Always."The 13th Annual Trans Day of Action was organized by the Anti-Violence Project and the Audre Lorde Project. According to the website, the event resists the "erasure" of transgender and gender non-conforming people during Pride, and but also brings people together to organize against other social injustices.
There are many events leading up to the Pride March at midday on Sunday. The March begins at 36th Street and 5th Avenue and ends at Christopher and Greenwich.
Source: thetakeaway.org