Hours after the United States Supreme Court’s historic decision establishing marriage equality throughout the United States, NYC Pride hosted its annual Pride Rally with a euphoric crowd of thousandscelebrating beneath a rainbow-illuminated One World Trade Center.
The first NYC PrideRally occurred one month after the Stonewall Riots in June 1969, when 500 people gathered for a “Gay Power” demonstration in Washington Square Park followed by a candlelight vigil in Sheridan Square.
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Following the Supreme Court’s momentous decision, NYC Pride released a statement that thanked “the countless activists who have worked so tirelessly to make this dream a reality” while stating that the landmark decision represented “a great step forward in our fight—a fight that is not over until equality and justice under the law are achieved for all.”
Earlier in the evening, celebrants gathered for a rally in front of the Stonewall Inn, where NYC Pride began. Throughout its history, NYC Pride has hosted the Rally in various locations throughout the city, including Central Park and Bryant Park.
Titus Burgess serenades the crowd with “Pinot Noir.” ©MRNY
Now hosted at Hudson River Park’s Pier 26, this year’s NYC PrideRally featured a cavalcade of LGBT speakers and entertainers introduced by the evening’s host, Titus Burgess. The scene-stealing Burgess has been featured in the Emmy-winning NBC series, 30 Rock, as well as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix.
Hailing from Uganda where homosexuality is “illegal,” Grand Marshal Kasha Nabagesera spoke with powerful eloquence about the state of LGBT life in her home country and the pressing need for global support for LGBT Ugandans, urging people to follow the pursuit for equality at Kuchu Times.
Breakout star Adore Delano onstage at NYC Pride Rally 2015 ©MRNY
The evening also included an incendiary performance by Adore Delano, a breakout star of RuPaul’s Drag Race and American Idol, who rocked the pier with her hit songs “I Adore U” and “Give Me Tonight.”
Radio personality and nightlife star Dina Delicious delighted the crowd with her quirky charm while singing “Tick Tick Trick,” the hit record she introduced at last year’s Life Ball in Vienna.
Steve Grand works the stage with a massive rainbow flag ©MRNY
A crowd favorite, singer-songwriter Steve Grand worked the stage with a massive rainbow flag while singing a joyful and romantic set that included “All-American Boy,” the hit song that went viral on YouTube and crowned Grand the first openly gay male country musician to attract mainstream adulation. With a body as beautiful as the heart within, Grand possesses a hopeful optimism that nicely complemented the evening’s heady mix of promise and joy.
As NYC Pride stated, “the dream of marriage equality has been a goal of millions of LGBT and ally Americans since before the Stonewall Riots gave rise to our movement”—and this year’s NYC Pride “will go down in the history books.”
