43rd LGBT Pride March Takes Manhattan By Storm With Full Slate Of Festivities
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It's a day for pride in Manhattan.
It's a parade like no other, and a crowd of about one-and-a-half million is expected to turn out throughout the day, through the evening and into the wee hours of Monday morning.
The 43rd LGBT Pride March -- also known as the Heritage of Pride March and the Gay Pride Parade -- began at noon at 5th Avenue and 36th Street. In conjunction with the march is the Pridefest Street Fair, which will take place on Hudson Street between 11th and 14th Streets until 6 p.m.
WCBS 880's Jim Smith reports
Podcast
The festivities will continue with a dance at Pier 57 on Sunday evening from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m.
The celebration comes a month after President Obama announced his support of same-sex marriage.
1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten reports
Podcast
One man told 1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten that the parade is as much about New York as it is about gay pride.
"It means a celebration of the visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people," he said. "And [it celebrates] the inclusion of all our people in this life in the city."
He added, however, that there is much more to do nationally.
"Think about marriage equality being brand new here," he said, "and it's not the case everywhere else in the country or in the world."
This year's grand marshals include singer and Queens native Cyndi Lauper, as well as Connie Kopelov and Phyllis Siegel, the city's first legally married same-sex couple.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is also marching alongside her new wife, Kim Catullo.
Will you be taking part in the LGBT Pride March festivities this afternoon or this evening? Sound off with your stories and thoughts below...
