Pride returned to New York, a year after the heady days of marriage equality in the state. The previous weekend we met fellow parents at the Rally in the East River Park. This is a kick-off event with some singers, comedians and speeches. Alas the East River park is a mission to reach and the sun was fierce but at least Harriet got to meet the Nesquik bunny.
Commercial sponsorship of LGBTQ events is controversial here and you will frequently hear of conservative groups calling for boycotts. One of the better known is the amusingly named 'One Million Moms' who number their members in the thousands. They are a creation of the American Family Association (and so largely run by men), which has a long history as a hate group. OMM called for a boycott of JC Penney because they used Ellen as a spokesperson. This year it was Oreo cookies that attracted their wrath. OMM are ridiculous because of their lack of success but AFA has a broad reach with hundreds of radio stations.
So that is why I support Pride and oppose those people, particularly the gay ones, who think it harms equality. The enemy is at the gate and whether it is overt hate like AFA or couched in moderate language it can do real harm. The march matters and in New York it's remembered that drag queens started the fight back.
Anyways, back to the parade. We took the subway to Maddison Square Park - the journey I take every weekday because my work overlooks MSQ park. It's a lovely bit of the city - a little square of green with perfect views of the Empire State ten blocks north. At the base is is the iconic, wedge shaped Flatiron building where Fifth Avenue meets Broadway.
It was already busy when we arrived and it took us a while to find our way to the agreed meeting point. There was an organized meetup in the middle of the park but first we stopped to see the parade. As luck would have it we arrived at the same moment George Takei's car reached our spot. He is, of course, Mr Sulu from Star Trek and much more. He is one of the most vocal gay rights campaigners in the US: I first knew this when he released videos condemning the Don't Say Gay (section 28 style bigotry for the UK readers) in TN. He suggested that people use his surname instead of gay if needed (they rhyme). He was dressed in his Scouting uniform and appeared with a woman who had been kicked out of the Boy Scouts because she is a lesbian.
The parade continued with the usual mix of floats and groups. I thought Con Edison's staff did a particularly impressive dance routine. There was a fine cheer-leading routine but the loudest cheer was reserved for the Trevor project. This is a charity that works to prevent teenage suicides among LGBTQ youth (the Q stands for Questioning/Queer). It's a very necessary, worthwhile effort - there are just too many heartbreaking stories here.
The politicians were there too - the governor who brought marriage equality to New York and the speaker of the New York City Council, the openly gay Christine Quinn. Some groups were smaller in number but vocal nonetheless.
We stopped at the meetup for a while - Harriet, T and Gavin ran round the pool in the park again and again and again. Then we had lunch with Elisa and Gavin before watching some more of the parade. We moved down 5th avenue where we saw a Jewish protestor. He had a stuffed dog in a wedding dress and a giant giraffe. A sign explained that if men married men then soon enough men would be marrying dogs and giraffes. Another sign carried the usual quotes from Leviticus.
Some counter protestors stood nearby with signs that read "This guy needs a hobby" but when the Isreali marchers spotted him they flocked round him and taunted him loudly. He left shortly afterwards, dragging his giraffe behind him. His right to protest had been protected (he had been given a segregated area to stand, surrounded by barriers) but good riddance.
It had been an uplifting day that a lone protestor could not diminish. There was an optimistic feeling to the day and it showed just how diverse NYC truly is. Groups like the Trevor project remind us that growing up gay in much of the country seems impossible to many. Whether it is the Boy Scouts or One Million Moms there are national organizations who seek to diminish us. But there on fifth avenue you can see the other side: drag queens and gogo dancers, churches and trades unions, politicians and bankers, sports clubs and drama groups, ex-pats and families, LGBTQ and straight allies. This was our stronghold and a parade that celebrated our best. The challenge comes in the rest of the year to spread the message and win the necessary battles.
Proud.
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