A strange mix of celebration and solemnity is intrinsic to New York City Pride. Somehow, signs that say “Buy Tickets to Oh, Mary Now!” make sense next to signs that say “Love Us While We Are Still Here.” The march is a space where Bowen Yang can joke about the “subtlety” of his bedazzled rainbow Grand Marshal sash, and 20 minutes later burst into tears upon seeing the signs made by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund in his honor.
New York City Pride also has a way of insisting that time is not linear, that the past melds fluidly with the present and future. Qween Jean—holding the historic Tony Award she won this year—summoned the spirit of queer ancestors Cecilia Gentili and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. Gay parents pushed strollers as a contingent from Judson Memorial Church bore portraits of their anointed gay icons (“Saint Stephen Sondheim,” “Saint Audre Lorde,” “Saint Alan Turing,” et cetera). As the march neared its end, two people in face paint and matching rainbow sequin bikinis held hands and chanted, “Mourn the dead and fight like hell for the living!”
But history wasn’t only celebrated—it was also made. This year marks a decade since the Pulse nightclub massacre and the subsequent formation of activist group Gays Against Guns. Affectionately referred to as GAG, the members of the group—which held its first public protest at NYC Pride in 2016, only 13 days after the massacre—were also honored as Grand Marshals this year. They marched then, as they march now, in silent vigil, surrounded by their “Human Beings”—activists dressed in all white, holding placards commemorating individuals killed by gun violence. The group’s message has always been “Honor Them With Action,” and that ethos hummed palpably around them.
Hunter Abrams was there to capture the audacity, resolve, and genuine fun of this honored queer tradition.
Photographed by Hunter Abrams
Photographed by Hunter Abrams
