Ann Cosme, left, and her lesbian daughter Margarita Carmona cheer on the Pride March last June. AP photo: Tina Fineberg.
Meet Rita Fisher, the 84-year-old Brooklyn native who raised nearly half a million bucks during the AIDS Walk.
A new program called LGBT @ NYPL enhances and digitizes the New York Public Library’s vast LGBT collection—and what a surprising collection it is!
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By Bill Schoell
Friday, April 11, 2008
Last year, a storm of controversy broke out over efforts to relocate PRIDEfest, the street fair held each June in conjunction with the famous March down Fifth Avenue. As a result, the event was cancelled. This year, the forecast calls for sunshine and rainbows.
Heritage of Pride, the umbrella group behind much of the city’s Pride events, said PRIDEfest is back on. It’ll be held the same day as the March but in a different location.
The 15th Annual PRIDEfest will take place Sunday, June 29, on Hudson Street between Abingdon Square and West 14th Street. Last year, HOP requested to move the event a day earlier and to Eighth Avenue in Chelsea because the old space on Washington Street was too crowded and less accessible; HOP also claimed that holding the event the same time as the March limited the number of people who could attend both.
But the mayor’s office made it clear that Chelsea was not an option, so HOP did some scouting around. Many of their choices were off-limits: major construction was under way at Washington Square Park, and none of the avenues were available because Fifth Avenue was already closed due to the March. David Schneider, co-chair of HOP, said that their options narrowed down to two: the former Washington Street space or Hudson Street. “We chose the new space for its width and its better upkeep,” he said.
Here’s a rundown of HOP events slated for Pride.
The Rally
2–6 p.m., Saturday, June 22, Bryant Park, free.
The Rally commemorates the first Gay Power demonstration that took place in Washington Square Park a month after the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969. The list of scheduled LGBT performers and speakers includes Sen. Tom Duane, the New York Gay Men’s Chorus, The Gender Offenders, Judy Gold, Corey Andrew and Bob Smith.
Rapture
6-11 p.m., Saturday, June 28, Pier 54, West 13th Street at West Side Highway on Hudson River Park, $20 advance, $25 at the door.
This women’s dance features DJ Susan Levine. Tickets go on sale May 1.
The March
Noon, Sunday, June 29, begins at Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street and ends at Christopher and Greenwich streets.
The first Gay Pride March occurred in 1970 after the Stonewall Riots of June 1969 sparked the gay rights movement. Today the march is for all members of the LGBT community, and their supporters, and also recognizes the struggle against AIDS and the many people who have been lost to this disease.
PRIDEfest
11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday, June 29, Hudson Street between Abingdon Square and West 14th Street, free.
The street fair included food, performances, tons of giveaways and booths set up by everyone from health centers and LGBT organizations to quirky T-shirts and backrubs.
Dance on the Pier
4–10:30 p.m., Sunday, June 29, Pier 54, West 13th Street at the West Side Highway, $45 advance, $55 in June.
DJs Joe Gauthreaux and Tracy Young provide the beats, Guy Smith provides the lights. Expect surprise performances—past years have included Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston—and a famous fireworks display over the river. Tickets go on sale on May 1.
For information and tickets, visit hopinc.org or boxofficetickets.com, or call 212-80-PRIDE or 1-800-494-TIXS.
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