Before I moved into New York City for the summer, so many people told me I have to attend at least one event during NYC Pride Week—and especially the March. a parade that began in 1970, has become the biggest pride celebration and annual civil rights demonstration in the entire world.
With the Supreme Court decision just two days before the Pride parade, the decision was going to make the trek down 5th Avenue either a celebration or a battle. While 37 states and Washington, D.C., already recognizing marriage equality, 13 states previously banned civil unions despite the ridiculously high public support nationwide. Roughly 61% of Americans are in support of gay marriage, yet these few states adamantly refuse these fundamental rights.
With a very, very exciting 5-4 Supreme Court ruling, the 14th Amendment grants marriage licenses to all couples—no matter the genders of the couple. I knew this Pride parade was going to be different than the 44 parades before it. And it was.
If a straight girl felt so much pride, patriotism and happiness during the parade, I can’t imagine how the millions of people affected by this decision felt. 55 floats made their way down this historic avenue, where the fights against AIDS and for gay pride have been taking place for more than 40 years. Businesses like Chipotle and VH1 had floats, as well as churches, universities and political offices.
No matter your background, sexual orientation, age or gender, everyone was welcomed to celebrate, dance, smile and cheer. As I walked from my apartment just a few blocks away, we could hear the loud dance music and cheering. People were pushed up against the fences and bordering the parade territory were vendors selling anything rainbow. You didn’t see one dark color in the crowd of thousands: rainbow, tie-dye, and white, glitter, feathers and sparkles. People were decked out and showing their pride, smiling from ear to ear.
And then it hit me. I just started tearing up. I couldn’t believe that a country as diverse as the United States could come together on one day, in the greatest city, to celebrate equality and our recent national step towards happiness and acceptance for all. The parade lasted more than seven hours, but people didn’t stop dancing and cheering as time went on.
This Supreme Court ruling was only the beginning of the climb. From now on, we as a country must fight for not only tolerance, but also acceptance. This fight will take love, support and most of all, education.
So make your profile picture that rainbow, attend these parades and rallies and learn to not discriminate. Laws are only half the battle; the other half is people and how they react to change and differences. No one deserves to be denied basic rights, and falling in love and making that union legal is one of them.
During the parade I couldn’t help but think: why would anyone judge me for who I love? Love is love, and hate is hate. Why must some choose to treat people with hate when those two people just want love? Let’s promote more love and fight against the latter, and I promise you the world will be a better place.
