- The annual New York City LGBT Pride March took place in Manhattan on Sunday.
- Millions of people flocked to Chelsea and Greenwich Village to catch a glimpse of the parade.
- The march featured elaborate costumes and floats, joyous celebrations, and honors for LGBT-rights activists.
The 49th annual New York City LGBT Pride March was held in the streets of Manhattan on Sunday.
The rainbow-colored spectacle to honor members of the LGBT community and celebrate strides in LGBT rights is the culmination of a series of events held by the NYC Pride organization. New York’s march, often the most attended Pride parade in the world, is always a sight to behold.
Here’s what 2018’s Pride March looked like.
Tennis legend and LGBT activist Billie Jean King served as grand marshal of the NYC Pride March.
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Some people came to Pride scantily-clad ...
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... while others wore elaborate outfits that showcased their identities.
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The LGBT community has made large strides since the first Pride parade in 1970, but it is still fighting for rights.
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Cynthia Nixon, a Democratic nominee for governor of New York, held hands with her wife Christine Marinoni during the march.
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The rainbow pride flag was ubiquitous at the parade.
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The transgender pride flag was on display, too.
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The theme of this year's festivities was "Defiantly Different."
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A couple of New York firefighters got engaged …
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... and the crowd cheered for the happy couple.
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Attendance at past Pride parades in New York has reportedly been more than 2 million.
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New Yorkers of all stripes processed down the parade route, which spanned more than two dozen blocks between Chelsea and Greenwich Village.
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Participants honored LGBT icons and celebrities. Honorees at this year's parade included activist Victoria Cruz, local rapper Young MA, and Emma Gonzalez, a gun-control advocate and survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
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The parade is a time when LGBT people can feel safe in public expressing themselves.
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New York's first Pride March took place in 1970 as a response to the Stonewall riots of 1969, during which members of the LGBT community protested a violent police raid at a Greenwich Village gay bar.
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The parade route goes right past Stonewall Inn, site of the riots, to honor the bar's legacy in the LGBT rights movement.
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On Sunday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled a memorial to honor the 49 people killed in the 2016 shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando.
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New Yorkers didn't have to be out on the street to enjoy the march.
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Not everybody walked down the parade route. Some rode motorcycles down 5th Avenue ...
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... and others drove in sleek convertibles.
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Others danced atop the parade floats.
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Many participants carried signs that referenced hot-button political issues, like the so-called 'bathroom laws' which dictate which restrooms transgender people may use.
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The growing number of participants forced organizers to change this year's parade route to stay on major roads, which can accommodate more people.
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Organizers are expecting next year's Pride March — which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots — to be the most attended Pride ever.
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