The History of NYC Pride

The New York City Pride March is one of the largest in the world, with tens of thousands of people donning their rainbow garb in celebration of free love. This year, the parade will take place on Sunday, June 27, so we’re honoring the festive tradition with a history of how it came to be one of NYC’s most iconic annual celebrations.

The Pride March memorializes the famous Stonewall riots, which occurred on Saturday, June 28, 1969. The riots were a reaction to a police raid at the Stonewall Bar, which was a popular location for the LGBTQ community to congregate in Greenwich Village. The riots became the cornerstone of the gay rights movement, and the Stonewall Inn is perhaps the most famous landmark in the fight for LGBTQ equality. In the weeks following the Stonewall riots, several marches advocating free love were organized throughout the city. On November 2, 1969, gay rights activist Craig Rodwell proposed that an annual march be held in memory of Stonewall. Rodwell, his partner Fred Sargeant, and activists Ellen Broidy and Linda Rhodes formally proposed the march at the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations. They stated;

“We propose that a demonstration be held annually on the last Saturday in June in New York City to commemorate the 1969 spontaneous demonstrations on Christopher Street and this demonstration be called CHRISTOPHER STREET LIBERATION DAY. No dress or age regulations shall be made for this demonstration.”

“We also propose that we contact Homophile organizations throughout the country and suggest that they hold parallel demonstrations on that day. We propose a nationwide show of support.”

The proposal passed unanimously, and Rodwell and his colleagues began organizing the march. They solicited donations and worked with advocacy groups and individuals to raise funds and plan the event for the following year.

June 28, 1970 was designated as Christopher Street Liberation Day because it was the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The day was celebrated with a march from Sheridan Square to Sheep Meadow in Central Park.

Since the first march in 1970, NYC Pride has become a time-honored tradition that only grows in popularity every year. NYC is the most popular location to celebrate Pride in the U.S., and the 2019 Pride weekend reported nearly five million participants. The parade was the largest in the city’s history, and there were four times more people in attendance than at the Time Square Ball Drop on New Year’s Eve.

NYC Pride is one of the city’s greatest treasures. It’s an opportunity to come together and celebrate love and inclusivity. We’re excited to support and encourage our community this year and every year to come.