With Pride Virtual, New Yorkers Join Queer Liberation March

With New York's annual Pride parade virtual for the second year running due to the pandemic Sunday, thousands of New Yorkers attended the alternative Queer Liberation March instead.

The march, first held in 2019, is organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, which argues that the main Pride celebrations have become too commercial for featuring corporate sponsors.

"I think that there's a lot of people that are not interested in the rainbow-washing and the corporate appropriation of LGBTQ people," said David Bishop, 47, marching in rainbow-colored swim briefs.

Several thousand participants set off from Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan at 3:00 pm for the 1.7-mile walk downtown in sweltering temperatures to Washington Square Park.

They held placards that read "Queer Power," "Gay is Good," and "All Black Lives Matter."

"It's great to have this community and have this outpouring of love," said Bishop, 47, as marchers blew whistles and chanted "Whose streets? Our streets."

Reclaim Pride Coalition claims that the main Pride parade has gone "too far from the spirit" of the Stonewall riots in June 1969 which sparked the gay rights movement.

The Queer Liberation March bans police officers for taking part and some participants carried placards that read "No cops, no cops" and "Cops out of Pride."

"NYPD does not belong in queer rights," said 28-year-old Toby Medlyn, using an expletive.

"The whole reason that Stonewall happened was because NYPD tried taking away our rights. Until they make actual changes, they're not invited," he added.

Recently, the NGO Heritage of Pride, said it would also ban uniformed police officers from parading in the main Pride march until 2025.

Police groups said the ban unfairly discriminated against LGBTQ officers.

"I would hope there'll be a way to include them, maybe out of uniform," said Bishop.

The main Pride parade attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year including politicians and celebrities.

It was last held in 2019 due to the coronavirus crisis. Relaxed restrictions in New York came too late to organize this year's event, organizers said.

Many participants of the Queer Liberation March were simply happy to have a parade to join.

"It's really awesome that we're able to be here and all unite and get together and experience this fun time," said 16-year-old Sophia Setlock.