See Photos From a Sweltering, Joyous NYC Pride March
By Arielle Shannon
As a street photographer, I set out on walks with no destination, only the intent to notice. On these walks, I often take stock of the city's temperature, and during the heat of the 57th New York City Pride March yesterday, June 28, I felt as if I had drifted into an idyllic fever dream. As the march proceeded down Fifth Avenue and looped up and around Seventh Avenue, the parade’s energy dispersed a feeling which I could perhaps only describe as a radiant chaos.
During the march, the NYPD functioned more like ornaments, their force relented. With at least the appearance of tension softened, friction took a back seat to the joy emanating from marchers and observers alike. Maybe the heat had softened me, or maybe the city’s recent string of celebrations had eased New Yorkers into this well-deserved moment, but I noticed a significant pause, as if the city stilled itself long enough to indulge in the light.
Of course, stillness will not erase conflict or the struggles that continue to shape queer life in New York and everywhere. The parade, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots for LGBTQ+ visibility, comes just months after the Trump administration removed the rainbow flag from Manhattan’s Stonewall National Monument (and then was forced by a court order to reinstate it). But the march did leave a mark on the city — just not merely through spectacle.
A member of Northeast Leather marches alongside their organization.
This article was originally published by Hyperallergic.