On June 26, New York City’s Pride March returned to the streets of Manhattan for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff from the Consulate General of Canada in New York and the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN teamed up to proudly represent Canada at one of the world’s first and largest Pride celebrations.
With thousands of people lining the streets, the March wound its way through the West Village past the Stonewall National Monument and the New York City AIDS Memorial. These two important landmarks tell the story of the March’s origins and evolution over the past 52 years. The first Pride March was held in 1970 on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which is widely considered to be the beginning of the modern Gay Rights movement in the U.S. Over the years, the March’s purpose widened to recognize the fights against AIDS and honor the lives lost to illness and violence.
Today, the NYC Pride March is an annual civil rights demonstration that brings together the LGBTQ+ community to connect, celebrate, and work for a future without discrimination. The 2022 March was held under the theme “Unapologetically Us” to acknowledge the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and in the face of new challenges.
Many thanks to the Pride March organizers for their tremendous work! To learn more about the history of NYC Pride, please visit the Heritage of Pride website.
