50th anniversary of first gay rights march in the U.S. marked with Black Lives Matter protest
Rainbow flags at New York City's Rockefeller Center on June 26. Photo: Gotham/Getty Images
After in-person celebrations for the 50th anniversary of New York City's annual pride parade were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, a march focused on the Black Lives Matter movement will take its place on Sunday.
Why it matters: New York's annual parade honors the first gay rights march in U.S. history, which started in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall riots.
Catch up quick: NYCPride will livestream events to celebrate the parade Sunday at noon, as the Queer Liberation March for Black Lives — which says it has eschewed corporate funding and police participation — will also be held Sunday.
- Participants in the march are encouraged to wear face masks and social distance.
- The Queer Liberation march had originally cancelled its Sunday event, but organizers reversed the decision after George Floyd's killing, the New Yorker's Michael Schulman reports.
The big picture: Many Black Lives Matter protests have made it a point to call for justice for Black transgender people, who are on the receiving end of an inordinate amount of violence and discrimination.
Go deeper: A Radical Challenger to New York City’s Pride March (The New Yorker)