PRIDE
Reclaim Pride Coalition, HOP Announce Pride Plans
Third annual Queer Liberation March slated for June 27; HOP unveils hybrid events
BY MATT TRACY
The third annual Queer
Liberation March will
take place, as expected,
on Sunday, June 27,
while Heritage of Pride is planning
a virtual march with some “in-person”
elements.
The Queer Liberation March
was fi rst organized in 2019 in response
to longstanding criticism
over the corporate and police presence
at Heritage of Pride’s (HOP)
march, which activists have decried
as a deviation from the original
purpose of Pride. Instead, RPC
— which hosted the only in-person
Pride march in the city last year —
bans uniformed police offi cers and
corporations from participating in
their march.
More fi rm details, including the
exact route and start time for the
march, are not yet available.
HOP, meanwhile, said in an announcement
on February 24 that
the in-person elements for their
Pride Sunday march are not yet
solidifi ed, but there will be a virtual
component nonetheless.
HOP’s annual Pride Rally, slated
for June 25, will be virtual, and although
the PrideFest and Pride Island
events will be returning, HOP
is not yet disclosing more fl eshed
out details about those plans at
this time.
HOP’s calendar of virtual events
also includes the Human Rights
Conference, Pride Presents, and
Family Movie Night, as well as a
second annual Black Queer Town
Hall. Details on those events are
also pending.
HOP is rolling out a visual campaign
that includes Gia Love, José
Thomas, G Xtravaganza, Krishna
Stone, and Reid Jefferson. Photographer
Cait Oppermann is leading
that campaign.
This year’s HOP events are being
produced under the theme “The
Fight Continues,” which they say
refl ects the “multitude of battles”
New Yorkers and Americans have
been fi ghting, including the coronavirus
pandemic, police brutality,
murders of transgender people
The banner that led off the Reclaim Pride Coalition’s march last year from Foley Square to the West
Village and on to Washington Square.
The Heritage of Pride banner at WorldPride in 2019.
of color, economic woes, climate
change, and other issues.
“We’re pleased to continue to
be able to offer a diverse roster of
programming this year,” David
A. Correa, Heritage of Pride’s interim
executive director, said in a
written statement. “In 2020 our
world dramatically changed very
DONNA ACETO
MICHAEL LUONGO
quickly and in a matter of weeks
we were forced to pivot to virtual
programming and cancel many of
our events. With much more time
to prepare in 2021, we’re bringing
back many of the events we were
forced to cancel last year, most notably
Youth Pride which will engage
LGBTQIA+ youth, many of whom
are grappling with the absence of
in-person connection.”
As for RPC’s march, which was
called the Queer Liberation March
for Black Lives and Against Police
Brutality last year, organizers have
created an online form for attendees
in the community to express
their opinions about how to shape
messaging and direction for this
year.
“This is the People’s March,”
RPC organizer Francesca R. Barjon
said in a written statement.
“We want any and every member
of our queer and trans family to
guide the direction of this march,
thereby creating an event that can
make a true impact on our lives
and our capacity to thrive!”
RPC organizers are underscoring
the urgent crises impacting
marginalized queer communities
over the last year, including the
ongoing murders targeting Black
transgender women, police abuse
targeting peaceful protesters,
transphobia and racism, and the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“We must march and have our
voices heard,” James Papadopoulos,
a Queer Liberation March
organizer, said in a written statement.
“The struggle for queer liberation
cannot wait for the passing
of the pandemic, as COVID-19 has
made surviving even more diffi cult
for far too many of our most marginalized
community members.”
Last year’s event featured a safety
fi rst approach complete with
ample hand sanitizer and masks
for marchers. This year’s march
will again place an emphasis on reducing
the risk of COVID-19 transmission
while maintaining the activist
spirit embodied by marchers
during the fi rst two marches. Hand
sanitizer and masks will be available
at the beginning of the march
and along the route.
Like in previous years, RPC is
fostering an inclusive environment
for people with disabilities.
Spare wheelchairs will be available,
American Sign Language
interpreters will be on hand, and
medics will be stationed throughout
the march.
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