EMBED >More News Videos New York City 2018 Pride March (1 of 13) Watch our coverage of the 2018 NYC Pride March NEW YORK (WABC) -- Rainbow flags are the order of the day in New York City and in cities around the world in celebration of gay pride.At least two million people were expected as the 49th annual Pride March made its way through Midtown and Greenwich Village Sunday.The event commemorates the riots that erupted in response to a police raid at a New York gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in June 1969.Onlookers and participants in New York noted those origins at Sunday's event, which was both a celebration of the diversity of LGBT culture and a statement against anti-LGBT policies promoted by President Donald Trump, such as the Republican president's attempt to ban all transgender people from serving in the military. They also spoke out against policies aimed at other communities, like immigrants and minorities. "We're making a statement that we're here, everybody. Whether it's immigrants, whether it's queer people or people of color, we're not going to put up with what this administration is doing," said Diego Molano of Queens, at his second pride parade. "You can't just cage everybody up. "Olivia Nadler, a Connecticut resident attending her third parade, said "people that are oppressed are not going to go away, they're not going to be quiet, they're not going to be ignored. "Elected officials, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, were among those attending the march.Security was tight, with barricades up along the march route on Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street.The NYPD says there is no credible threat, but thousands of uniformed and plain clothes officers were along the march route, along with 100 blocker cars and sand trucks. "We encourage anyone at the march who sees anything suspicious to let an officer know or please call 911," said NYPD Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison. "Events like this are a celebration of the diversity in New York City and what makes us the greatest city in the world. "Last year the march lasted 9 hours and 38 minutes and some streets remained closed overnight in Greenwich Village.Tennis legend Billie Jean King was one of the grand marshals this year, along with transgender advocate Tyler Ford and civil rights organization Lambda Legal.The theme of this year's march was "Defiantly Different." It featured eighty floats and tens of thousands of marchers.March organizers honored "community heroes" including Parkland, Florida, school shooting survivor Emma Gonzales.To coincide with the event, a New York state memorial to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people that honors victims of intolerance opened to the public on Sunday.Gov. Cuomo officially unveiled the monument in Hudson River Park in Manhattan. It has nine boulders with pieces of glass installed in them that can act as prisms and reflect rainbows in sunlight. It was designed by artist Anthony Goicolea, of Brooklyn.Cuomo formed the commission to come up with an LGBT memorial after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that left 49 people dead.----------<doc-sep>San Francisco Pride is upon us, and while there are a gaggle of events happening to commemorate 48 years of queer activism in the city and beyond (and plenty of historic sites to visit if you’re in town for Pride), the full monty is the Pride March, happening on Sunday, June 24. This year’s Sunday parade route will be similar to last year’s, beginning at Market and Beale and ending at Market and Eighth Street. The theme of this year’s merriment is “Generations of Strength.” The Grand Marshals are Pose writer and producer Our Lady J; Jose Xtravaganza, member of the legendary House of Xtravaganza and dancer on Madonna’s Blonde Ambition tour; Kin Folkz, award-winning educator, human rights activist, and founder of Oakland Pride; and Soni Wolf, founder of Dykes on Bikes—just to name a few. However, Sunday’s parade isn’t the only march happening this Pride season. Au contraire. The Dyke March, happening on Saturday in the Mission, has only grown in numbers each year. And the Trans March, arguably the most important and unadulterated Pride event, kicks off on Friday. (Sunday’s Pride parade now has more to do with amplifying mega-corporations and less about the voices and history of the LGBTQ community, hence the need for smaller, local-focused marches.) What do you need to know if you want to attend? Here’s a handy breakdown of everything you need to know about San Francisco Pride, including street closures, public transit reroutes, parking, and more. San Francisco Pride Parade, Sunday, June 24 What time does the Pride parade start? Beginning at 10:30 a..m. on Sunday. What route will the parade follow? The parade runs along Market Street from Beale to Eighth Street. The march will proceed west on Market to Hyde and Eighth streets, where it will funnel off from Eighth Street and in Civic Center. Don’t even think of driving into this area, because you can’t. Which streets will be closed for SF Pride Parade? Many. Continue reading for the entire list of street closures and Muni reroutes. How to get to the SF Pride Parade You best bet is to take public transit. If you’re coming from outside the city, take BART, which will let your off smack dab on Market Street. If you’re within the city, you can take either BART or Muni, which share stops on Market Street along the parade route. SFMTA staff will also sell fare receipts so you won’t have to wait for a vending machine. Note: Don’t even think of driving to Sunday’s parade and party. Just don’t. What will the weather be like? Sunny and warm. Temperatures should reach the high 60s/low 70s. Smear on your highest SPF if needed. What if I don’t like crowds? Good news: You’re not alone. The SF Pride Parade will air live on KPIX Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It’ll also stream live on KPIX’s website. What streets will be closed? Starting at 9 a.m., Thursday and continuing until 3 p.m., Monday: Fulton Street between Hyde and Larkin streets Grove Street between Polk and Larkin streets Starting at 7 p.m., Thursday and continuing until 6 a.m., Monday: Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place between McAllister and Grove streets Starting at 9 a.m., Friday and continuing until 6 a.m., Monday: Grove Street between Hyde Street and Van Ness Avenue Larkin Street between McAllister and Market streets Starting at 8 p.m., Friday and continuing until 6 a.m., Monday: Dr. Tom Waddell Place between Van Ness Avenue and Polk Street Polk Street between Grove and Market streets McAllister Street between Van Ness Avenue and Leavenworth Street Hyde Street between McAllister and Grove streets Starting at 8 p.m., Saturday and continuing until 6 a.m., Monday: Continuum Place from Golden Gate Avenue to Terminus Elm Street between Van Ness Avenue and Polk Street Golden Gate Avenue between Van Ness Avenue and Leavenworth Street Hyde Street between Turk and McAllister streets Larkin Street between Turk and McAllister streets Polk Street between Turk and McAllister streets Redwood Street between Polk Street and Van Ness Avenue Starting at 12:01 a.m., Sunday and continuing until 5 p.m., Sunday: Leavenworth Street between McAllister and Market streets Sutter Street between Sansome and Market streets Sansome Street (northbound lane only) between Bush and Sutter streets All northbound traffic coming from Ninth Street will be directed to use Hayes Street to either Van Ness Avenue or Franklin Street. Southbound traffic on Polk Street should use Golden Gate Avenue to Hyde Street until Saturday evening when both Hyde Street and Golden Gate Avenue will be closed. Where can I catch a taxi? Lyft and Uber might be tough or amped up with surge pricing. So the city has added temporary taxi stands at specific locations. From 10 a.m., Saturday, June 23 through 9 p.m., Sunday, June 24, there will be limited number of spaces at these locations: The west side of Van Ness, in front of City Hall, eight spaces The north side of Turk Street, east of Polk Street, five spaces Also, why are you driving in SF during Pride Sunday?! If possible, don’t. A post shared by The San Francisco Dyke March (@dykemarchsf) on Aug 3, 2017 at 8:53pm PDT Dyke March, Saturday, June 23 What time does the Dyke March start? 5 p.m. on Saturday. What times does the rally start? Rally begins at 11 a.m. in Dolores Park. What route will the march follow? The march starts from Dolores Street along 18th Street to Valencia Street to 16th Street and up into the Castro to 18th and back to Dolores Park. Which streets will be closed? The following street closures will be required from 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: Dolores Street between 17th and 20th Streets. Intersections: Dolores Street at Dolores Terrace, Dorland, 19th, and Cumberland Streets. Local Access: 19th Street; Cumberland Street; 18th Street between Guerrero and Dolores; 20th Street between Dolores and Church. Which Muni lines will be affected? The following Muni lines and routes will be affected: F Market & Wharves; J Church; 22 Fillmore; 24 Divisadero & Owl; 33 Ashbury/18th Street; 35 Eureka; 37 Corbett; and 55 16th Street. Extra service: Service on the K Ingleside, T Third, L Taraval, and M Ocean View lines will be provided by two-car trains. A post shared by Kimberly Ventre (@kventre) on Jun 24, 2017 at 7:49am PDT Trans March, Friday, June 22 What time does the Trans March start? 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. in Dolores Park. What times does the rally start? 3 p.m. in Dolores Park. What route will the march follow? The following streets will be used as the procession marches: Dolores Street, Market Street (between Duboce and Sixth Street), and Taylor Street We will continue to update this piece throughout Pride weekend!<doc-sep>
As Pride Month continues, things are slated to get even more exciting with the 2018 New York City (NYC) Pride March aiming to celebrate members of the LGBTQIA+ community Sunday. The first-ever gay pride parade in American history was held in NYC's Central Park on June 28, 1970. It occurred one year after the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which were multiple violent protests organized by members of the LGBT community after the NYPD raided known gay club Stonewall Inn. The parade served as a launching pad for other cities across the United States to hold their own respective marches. It's now commemorated annually, ultimately becoming an important civil rights movement. "The March is a celebration of our lives and our community," NYC Pride's website reads. "In 2017, we were joined by over 450+ unique marching contingents, representing a vast array of nonprofits, community organizations, corporate partners, small businesses, political candidates and activists! With over 110 floats making the trek down Fifth Avenue, last year's March was one of the largest and most exciting in history." With Sunday's event preparing for takeoff, here's everything there is to know about this year's parade. What time is the NYC Pride March? Sunday's event is scheduled to take place at 12 p.m. EST. While there isn't a set time it's slated to conclude, it will likely end in the early evening. What is the March's route? The March will begin on 7th Avenue and 16th Street. MTA's website states that the parade will continue east along Christopher and 8 Streets to 5 Avenue before heading north along 5 Avenue. It will later conclude at 29 Street. A full route map from the Heritage of Pride can be viewed, here. What roads will be closed? The parade will take over several roads in NYC from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m EST. The following areas will be blocked off for the event: Route 7th Avenue between 19th Street and Christopher Street Christopher Street between Greenwich Avenue and West 4th Street Greenwich Avenue between Christopher Street and 6th Avenue 8th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue 5th Avenue between 8th Street and 33rd Street Festival University Place between East 13th Street and Waverly Place East 8th Street between University Place and Greene Street Formation 19th Street between 6th Avenue and 9th Avenue 18th Street between 7th Avenue and 9th Avenue 17th Street between 7th Avenue and 9th Avenue 16th Street between 6th Avenue and 9th Avenue 15th Street between 7th Avenue and 9th Avenue Dispersal 29th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 30th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 31st Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 32nd Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 33rd Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue Does it cost to attend? The March is free for all ages, but there is seating area at The General Worth Monument that would require interested persons to purchase a pass. The pass includes special restrooms, food, beverages and live entertainment. Is there a way to watch online? New York's ABC7 (WABC-TV) is airing a live broadcast of the March from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. For those who don't have access to a television, the special would be viewable via live stream on the station's website.