new york –
Thousands of enthusiastic marchers dance to club music in the streets of New York City on Sunday as foam and confetti rain down, as fellow revelers from Toronto to San Francisco cheer in Pride Month hype. raised.
Boisterous New York crowds strolled, danced, cheered and waved rainbow flags from Fifth Avenue to Greenwich Village to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. In this uprising, a police raid on a gay bar sparked days of protests and kicked off a modern movement for LGBTQ2S+ rights.
Some celebrated, but many were aware of growing conservative protests, such as a new law banning gender-affirming care for transgender children.
“I’m not trying to be too politicized, but I would be very annoyed if my community was targeted,” said Ve Sinder, a 22-year-old transgender woman traveling from Pennsylvania. it hurts a lot,” he said. She participates in the country’s biggest pride event.
“I’m just scared for my future and my transgender brothers. I’m scared for how this country views human rights and basic human rights,” she said. “It’s crazy.”
The parades in New York, Chicago and San Francisco are among some of the nearly 400 Pride groups across the country this year, many of which focus specifically on the rights of transgender people.
One of the grand marshals of the New York City parade is A.C. Dumurao, chief of staff and non-binary activist for Athlete Alley, an organization that represents LGBTQ2S+ athletes.
“Uplifting the trans community has always been at the core of our events and programs,” said NYC Pride spokesperson Dan Dimant.
San Francisco Pride, another of the largest and best-known LGBTQ2S+ celebrations in the United States, drew tens of thousands of spectators on Sunday.
Launched by the group Dykes on Bikes, the event features dozens of colorful floats, some of which carry a strong message against the wave of anti-transgender laws in state capitols across the country. there were.
Organizers told the San Francisco Chronicle that this year’s theme is focused on activism. Also in the parade was Darcy Dollinger, America’s first drag award winner.
“We inspire everyone as we walk through a more authentic and more wonderful world,” Dollinger said at the pre-parade breakfast.
House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank were spotted riding horses together along Market Street.
In Chicago, 16-year-old Maisie McDonough painted rainbow on her eyes and face at her first Pride Parade.
She told the Chicago Tribune that she was thrilled to be “united” after a tough year for her community.
“We really need the love for this parade,” she said.
First Lady Jill Biden appeared on Saturday at the Pride Parade in Nashville, Tennessee, telling the crowd “loud and clear that you belong, that you are beautiful and that you are loved.” .
A number of other cities also held major events earlier this month, including Boston, which held its first parade after a three-year hiatus initiated by COVID-19. The parade has been extended until 2022 after the organization that ran the parade was disbanded after criticism that it was racist. minorities and transgender people.
A key message this year was that the LGBTQ2S+ community should come together and stand together against the dozens, if not hundreds, of bills currently being debated in state capitols across the country.
Legislators in 20 states are moving to ban the raising of gender-affirming children, and at least seven more states are considering similar measures, increasing the urgency of the transgender community, it says. they say.
Pride event organizers in New York, San Francisco and San Diego, along with about 50 other Pride organizations across the country, issued a statement saying, “We are under threat.” “The diverse dangers we face as LGBTQ communities and pride organizers differ in nature and intensity, but they share a common denominator. It seeks to undermine our identities, our freedoms, our security and our livelihoods.”
Early Sunday morning, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared the state a “safe haven” for transgender youth and released information to law enforcement that could undermine children’s ability to receive gender-affirming care. signed a bill banning the provision of
New York City Mayor Adams made a similar move this week, issuing an executive order banning city resources from being used to cooperate with out-of-state authorities detaining people receiving gender-positive care in the city. I put it out.
The Anti-Defamation League and LGBTQ2S+ national organization GLAAD reported 101 anti-LGBTQ2S+ incidents in the first three weeks of this month. That’s about double his one-month period last June.
Sarah Moore, who analyzes the extremism of the two civil rights groups, said many of the incidents coincided with Pride events.
Nonetheless, Roz Gould Keith, who has a transgender son, is encouraged by the growing profile of transgender people at marches and celebrations across the country.
“Ten years ago, when my son said he wanted to go to Motor City Pride, it was nothing for the trans community,” says Stand, an organization set up to support and empower transgender youth and their families.・Keith, Founder and Executive Director of With Trance. .
This year’s event was “crammed” with transgender people, she said.
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AP reporter Tran Nguyen from Sacramento, Calif. James Pollard of Columbia, South Carolina. Jeff Malvihill of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Her girlfriend, Trisha Ahmed, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Susan Haigh, of Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
