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Jubilant NY crowds celebrate gay marriage ruling at pride march
Hundreds of thousands of jubilant gay rights supporters were expected on New York’s streets Sunday for the annual Gay Pride March, just two days after the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling to legalize gay marriage.
Described by organizers as New York’s most historic Pride march since the event began in 1970, record numbers of people could pour into the city to celebrate, with the weather forecast to be mostly warm and sunny.
“This is a truly historic moment for the LBGT community in the country; it’s something we’ve been waiting for a long time,” NYC Pride spokesman James Fallarino told Newsday.
When New York state legalized gay marriage in 2011, a record two million people joined the march, he said.
“Just with this news, it’s going to be bigger,” Fallarino said. “We do expect some surprise folks to show up … You’ll see some pretty famous people.”
The Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal throughout the nation Friday, capping a lengthy effort for marriage equality that had seen 37 states allow gay marriage but 13 hold out against it.
Organizers said on Twitter they would be performing free weddings during the day.
New York’s march begins at noon (1600 GMT) and will be led by Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen, two of Britain’s most famous openly gay actors. Throngs of rainbow-flag waving celebrants are expected to line the streets to watch them lead the parade.
San Francisco is also hosting a huge gay pride parade this weekend. One spectator was injured there Saturday night in a shooting that stemmed from an argument unrelated to the event.
New York’s first gay rights march was held in 1970, a year after a now notorious incident in which police raided a famed Greenwich Village gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, prompting riots in the gay community.
Described by organizers as New York’s most historic Pride march since the event began in 1970, record numbers of people could pour into the city to celebrate, with the weather forecast to be mostly warm and sunny.
“This is a truly historic moment for the LBGT community in the country; it’s something we’ve been waiting for a long time,” NYC Pride spokesman James Fallarino told Newsday.
When New York state legalized gay marriage in 2011, a record two million people joined the march, he said.
“Just with this news, it’s going to be bigger,” Fallarino said. “We do expect some surprise folks to show up … You’ll see some pretty famous people.”
The Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal throughout the nation Friday, capping a lengthy effort for marriage equality that had seen 37 states allow gay marriage but 13 hold out against it.
Organizers said on Twitter they would be performing free weddings during the day.
New York’s march begins at noon (1600 GMT) and will be led by Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen, two of Britain’s most famous openly gay actors. Throngs of rainbow-flag waving celebrants are expected to line the streets to watch them lead the parade.
San Francisco is also hosting a huge gay pride parade this weekend. One spectator was injured there Saturday night in a shooting that stemmed from an argument unrelated to the event.
New York’s first gay rights march was held in 1970, a year after a now notorious incident in which police raided a famed Greenwich Village gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, prompting riots in the gay community.
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