NYC Pride Returns To Lower Manhattan In Wake Of Roe V. Wade Reversal

MANHATTAN, NY — Thousands of people lined the sweltering Lower Manhattan streets on Sunday to celebrate and watch the New York City Pride March.

The energy was mostly festive, with Pride-goers cheering, singing, dancing, snapping photos, hanging from scaffolding and reacting with glee to the floats that colorfully made their way down the Chelsea and West Village blocks.

"Since COVID, we haven't been able to celebrate Pride properly, this is the year we are all gathered together without any restrictions and it's just amazing to be here with all these beautiful people celebrating Pride," Moises Gio told Patch while standing and watching the march on West 24th Street.

It was the first time since 2019 that the Pride March has been held in person at full capacity.

For all the celebration, though, there was also a clear concerted effort from individuals, groups of friends and organizations to make their disdain and anger heard over the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — and Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion that the court should reconsider its previous decisions on gay marriage rights, access to contraceptives and a state's ability to outlaw consensual gay sex.

“Yes, it’s scary that they can take away the rights that we fought for, for so long, and I think we all have to stand together and make our voices heard so that they know that we’re here and that they can’t take these things away from us," Gio said.

The recent decisions and sentiments expressed by the Supreme Court were a reason multiple people gave to Patch as to why attending Pride this year had an added level of importance.

"It really does," Jasmine Rosario, who was attending her first Pride event since coming out in 2019, said when asked about whether the Supreme Court decision gave her added incentive to participate Sunday.

"I feel like as a community we need to have more of a voice together," she said "People that don't understand our adversity and what we go through — are making decisions for us — and they shouldn't be."

While Rosario was at her first New York City Pride event, Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker, a Harlem resident and U.S. Army veteran, has been coming to Pride events since 1984.

“I wanted to come to Pride today to show the resilience of the LGBTQ community, especially the transgender community, and also the Jewish community," Walker told Patch. "I’m here to represent, and I feel that it’s very important today, considering what the Supreme Court recently did overturning Roe v. Wade against what most Americans want."

She added that it was a "very dangerous precedent" the court was taking in overturning the landmark decision.

“I fought for the whole United States, I didn’t fight for the right or the left, or Democrats or Republicans, I fought for everyone. And I think everyone is deserving of civil and human rights, and we shouldn’t let the courts stop our progress," Walker said.

Walker also gave credit to the nearby Stonewall Inn, which the march passed by on its route around the West Village.

“It didn’t start at Stonewall, but it was Stonewall in 1969 that kicked off the Gay Rights Movement," she said. "We have to fight for these rights, and we’re not going to let them take our rights away."

There was no block more bustling in the march than that of the Christopher Street section where Stonewall Inn sits.

The street narrows compared to the long avenues that most of the march traveled down.

A mix of people donning seemingly endless rainbow flags both stood and watched the floats go by, did their best to duck into the bars on the block — including Stonewall Inn, which had a $10 cover — or simply tried to make their way to a new area.

All the while, vendors yelled out their goods of water, popsicles and mixed drinks.

The sweat poured from everyone on the 90-degree day — at some points becoming dangerous — as multiple people in different areas were helped after what appeared to be some sort of fainting due to the heat.

Among the marchgoers were partners Renee Liriviere and Liz Bard.

Liriviere was attending Pride for the fifth time, while Bard was experiencing NYC Pride for the very first time.

"I feel like I can just be authentically myself and not have to hide," Liriviere told Patch. "Not to be anxious to hold my partner's hand in public and kiss her and just feel comfortable like we should all the time being queer and trans people."

"I'm finally accepting who I really am," Bard chimed in. "It's incredible to see so many people that I resonate so much with. We can all celebrate together and just have fun."

"Loud, amazing, beautiful, colorful, supportive — it's just really cool," Bard said about her first NYC Pride experience.

Liriviere was attending Pride with a sign asking for donations to help with their top surgery, which is a procedure to remove breast or chest tissue.

Multiple people came up to them in the span of minutes with cash donations.

“I thought I would just make a sign and get as much support as possible," Liriviere told Patch. "I’m nervous, I work a lot and I still don’t really have enough for my surgeries, so just going around and asking for help is difficult for me. I hate asking for help, but people have been great. I’m just so grateful.”

The surgery is scheduled for July 19.

"Having the community support, it makes me want to cry happy tears," Bard added.

As usual, Pride was attended by a wide collection of New York elected officials, from Mayor Eric Adams to Gov. Kathy Hochul to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine to state Sen. Brad Hoylman to Assembly Member Deborah Glick to U.S. Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney.

Each elected official marched with dozens of people from their office.

By the end of the event around 2:45 p.m., marchers began turning into restaurants and planning more celebrations into the night.

Here are more photos from the day.