Babylon Village Pride Parade To Take Place Sunday: What To Know

BABYLON, NY — In 2020, Babylon resident, Roman, conspired an idea in his living room.

As a person who identifies as queer and uses they/them pronouns, they felt the need to show acceptance and appreciation for the local LGBTQ+ community.

"There are a lot of queer business owners, believe it or not, that are in this town. There are a lot of queer families," the organizer told Patch, who preferred to go by the singular name. "I feel like we just needed acknowledgement."

Within the span of one week, Roman and friend, Bob McKeown, organized Babylon Village's first ever Pride Parade, consisting of a car parade and about 500 attendees.

"We got the okay on a Monday and then the parade was that Sunday," said Roman. "It was the beginning of something beautiful."

Four years later, the Babylon Village Pride Parade continues to go strong, and will have its 2023 event on Sunday, June 4.

It will kick off on the corner of Deer Park Ave. and Main Street and start at 3 p.m. The parade will travel all the way down to Deer Park Ave. and end at Simon Street. About 40 decorated cars will drive in the parade, as well as six decorated floats.

Elected officials such as Mayor Mary Adams, Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Assemblyman Michael Durso, Legislator Kevin McCaffrey, and Legislator Jason Richberg will also attend the parade.

This year, more than 3,500 people are expected to attend, and roads in the village will be closed from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"We just went bigger and better this year," said Roman.

Many Babylon Village businesses will also take part in the day's festivities.

Lily Flannigan's, located at 345 Deer Pk Ave, Babylon, will host a "Proud & Loud Pride Brunch" at 11 a.m.

Mary Caroll's will host a parade after party at about 4 p.m., featuring performances from eight "superstar" drag queens.

Roman told Patch that they and McKeown spend months organizing the parade each year, both not receiving a cent for their work. Each work full-time, they said.

"That's what activism is about. I'm not doing this for money," said Roman. "I'm doing this because it is a passion project, especially being LGBTQ myself, this is my, my love letter. My thank-you, back to the community.

The organizer said felt compelled to make a change in their own home.

"I can't solve the world's problems, but I could start in my hometown. And that's what Babylon is," said Roman.

The Babylon Village Pride Parade has inspired many other Long Island hamlets to host their own events, acknowledging and celebrate LGBTQ+ people in each community.

"I'm so happy to see Long Island, multiple villages now, do it," said Roman. "Why are we waiting for New York City Pride? That's not until June 28. We can have it all month long of June."

Roman told Patch that while Long Island is more conservative than New York City, a parade is a unifier for all political parties and backgrounds.

"That's the beauty of it. Because when you have a pride parade or a pride celebration, you don't see left you don't see right, you don't see red, you don't see blue," said Roman. " You just see love and unity and family."

Another topic that all can agree on is the importance of education, they said. Each year, the Pride Parade awards multiple scholarships to graduating high school seniors. It also donates to Safe Space Programs in the West Babylon, North Babylon and Babylon Village School Districts.

"When I was 14, it was a different time. A boy couldn't wear makeup and wigs and dresses in school. A girl couldn't be having a partner of the same sex," said Roman. "

While today's youth still face challenges, more kids are able to "live their dreams" and be themselves.

"I want the kids in high school to know that the whole world is in front of them. High school is the beginning of their life, but it's not the end of it, there's so much more beyond that," said Roman. "Be yourself, live in your truth, and love the skin you're in."

A ceremony for this year's scholarship recipients will take place at 2 p.m. outside of Fitness Initiative, located at 157 Deer Pk Ave. The recipients will then ride one of the six floats in the parade.

"Sometimes I have to pinch myself, because this was a dream that started in my living room," said Roman. "I really, truly want that message to echo out that anyone can make a difference."

Four years after the first parade, Roman told Patch it's hard to fathom how much the community has supported them and each other.

"I'm nobody famous, I'm not successful in my own right, I don't have a million dollars in the bank," said Roman. "I wanted to do something for my LGBTQ plus community, and I wanted it to be done in my hometown. This is my activism giving back to my town. I'm a Babylonian through and through."

To learn about the Babylon Village Pride Parade, visit its website here.