‘We need to keep marching’: Queens Pride kicks off the season in Jackson Heights

The New Queens Pride returned to Jackson Heights on June 2 for its 31st year.

This year’s parade was filled with an immense sense of urgency amidst the joy, especially during a time when the Human Rights Campaign has declared a National State of Emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans thanks in large part to widespread legislative attacks on transgender and non-binary Americans. 

“We take the time to realize and recognize why we have Pride,” LGBT Network President Dr. David Kilmnick said in an announcement over the loudspeaker. “That is to be out, to be loud, to be proud, to make sure that our entire LGBT+ community is safe no matter where we live, no matter where we love, no matter where we learn, no matter where we work, no matter where we play, and no matter where we pray — everywhere.”

While Queens Pride is more than three decades old, it was rebranded to become known as the New Queens Pride parade when the LGBT Network claimed leadership of the annual event in 2022. This year’s parade stalled its float at a particular intersection along 37th Avenue — the exact spot where Julio Rivera was brutally murdered in 1990.

“Why is it important that we March in Queens?” Borough President Donovan Richards asked the crowd. “Because we are the most diverse county in the world — 190 countries, 360 languages. We are the melting pot.”

Richards encouraged community support for women’s rights, civil rights for Black Americans, and protections for immigrants.

“May we not forget that immigrants built this nation,” he concluded. “It’s all intertwined, baby.”

Centered on 37th Avenue in one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, The New Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival is a beacon of hope and inclusion for some thousands of participants and Queens residents. Queens is the largest transgender hub in the Western Hemisphere, according to parade organizers, which underscores the importance of safeguarding and celebrating the Jackson Heights community.

Shirley and Joan, a lesbian couple together for more than 50 years, returned to the parade this year from West Palm Beach. 

“I’m marching for gay rights,” Shirley said, wearing a tie-dyed shirt in support of the Queens Center for Gay Seniors. “I’ve seen a lot of change in my time, but I want to see a lot more change.”

Shirley emphasized to Gay City News that at home in Florida, the couple still has to fight for their right to exist. 

“Now more than ever, we need to keep marching,” Joan said.

Queens Pride was co-founded by former City Councilmember Daniel Dromm and activist Maritza Martinez in 1993 in remembrance of Julio Rivera. This year’s grand marshals include honorary grand marshal and State Senator Leroy Comrie, 2023 New York State Teacher of the Year Billy Green, and community advocate Amber Ferrer.

This is a developing story.