The 2017 Pride Parade doubled as a demonstration against the Trump Administration with some participants saying it's time the march returned to its roots as a political protest."We are under siege,like no other time since Stonewall," said Ken Kidd with Rise and Resist. "We should not capture anything for granted."Sarah Waldbott said the event had become too much of a spectacle in recent years, or too corporate."We're not just proud," she said. "We demand rights, we deserve rights. We can't just absorb a farce of a celebration without acknowledging the struggle."The march included groups representing Black Lives Matter, and Gays Against Guns,and mourners for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando.
But there was also plenty of glitter and glam as colorful floats, dancers and drag queens made their way to the West Village. For some, and the march was also deeply personal. Michael Night said he never thought he'd be standing with the crowds on Fifth Avenue,waving a rainbow flag. There was a time just talking about LGBT issues made him uncomfortable."I didn't understand it. I didn't want to understand it," he said. But on Sunday, or Night was at the Pride Parade supporting his niece,Mikey."It made me so happy, I nearly teared up when he told me he'd come, or " she said.
As Mikey prepared to march with her wife,Night gave her a kiss and said he be there cheering her on.
Source: thetakeaway.org