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with WorldPride NYC and the 50th Anniversary
of Stonewall Inn.
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Deborah Cox performs.
➤ CLOSING CEREMONY, from p.24
ist Melanie C (formerly nicknamed
Sporty Spice); and the ever-elegant
powerhouse singer Deborah Cox.
Intermingled with the music
came rally-style speeches, and the
ceremonial passing of the baton
from WorldPride NYC to Copenhagen
( copenhagen2021.com/worldpride
), which will host the event in
2021. That future event will mark
several anniversaries in the Scandinavian
city, including the 70th
anniversary of the world’s fi rst
successful genital reconstructive
surgery, performed in Denmark
in 1951 and a half-century since
the Gay Liberation Front’s Danish
chapter was founded in 1971.
On the Times Square stage,
Mayor Bill de Blasio broke from
his 2020 presidential campaign
to speak, following his day on the
WorldPride parade route. The mayor
started by thanking the countless
organizers, volunteers, NYPD
offi cers, fi rst responders, and others
who contributed to New York’s
30 blowout days of Pride.
“I am proud to be the mayor of
the city with the largest LGBTQ
community in United States of
America,” said de Blasio. “And
we are proud every day — we are
proud to be the city of Stonewall,
where the rebellion began to give
people the rights they deserved so
long ago. But that spirit of Stonewall
is not ancient history, is it? It’s
something that we have to live today,
because there’s more work we
have to do.
The mayor continued, “For a
long time it felt like our nation was
just moving forward — with more
respect, more inclusion. We were
becoming a better community for
everyone. But in recent years we’ve
KELSY CHAUVIN
KELSY CHAUVIN
Comedian and actor Margaret Cho was the
evening’s emcee.
seen a lot more bigotry, haven’t we?
In recent years we’ve seen hatred
start to take hold again. Is that the
America you believe in? Do you believe
we can do better than that?
We have seen hate crimes come
back, and we will not stand for it!”
Calling out specifi c support for
transgender members of the armed
services, healthcare for the elderly,
social services for veterans, and
protections for the entire LGBTQ
community, de Blasio declared
sentiments that resonated deeply.
“Do you feel strong tonight? Do
you feel powerful tonight?,” he
asked. “We need to fi ght for each
other, and we need to fi ght for a society
that truly loves and embraces
all. I hope in these last days that
you have felt the love and you have
felt the possibility. WorldPride is
not just a celebration — it’s an example
of the world that we should
live in and the world that we can
all create together. But the authors
of that better world are every single
➤ CLOSING CEREMONY, continued on p.33
July 4 - July 17, 2 32 019 | GayCityNews.com
/pride
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