Global celebrations of LGBT pride have taken place in London, Rome, and Toronto, but they have never taken place in the city that’s arguably the birthplace of the movement — New York. But that’s all about to change.
This week, the producers of New York City’s legendary LGBT pride parade announced that the birthplace of the legendary Stonewall uprising has been chosen to host WorldPride in 2019.
“The Stonewall Uprising is considered the most significant event that ignited the modern LGBT rights movement, so it makes perfect sense to bring WorldPride to the birthplace of pride in 2019,” NYC Pride’s David Schneider said in a press release.
MSNBC Pride: Test your knowledge of the Stonewall riots
Gay Pride Month is celebrated across America during the month of June, four weeks that commemorate the brutal police raids against LGBT patrons at New York’s iconic gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. It was on June 28, 1969, that a courageous group of LGBT men and women stood up for the first time against a police force that for years had been physically and sexually assaulting them and publicly humiliating them. The rioting that took place at Stonewall sparked several nights of protests — and, ultimately, a movement.
“The Stonewall riots were the beginning of our community fighting for an end to harassment and persecution by standing up for our human rights,” said Eric Sawyer, co-founder of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), one of the most well-known HIV/AIDS and LGBT activist groups.
New York City’s first time hosting WorldPride will now coincide with the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. As a result, NYC Pride is predicting it will “be one of the largest LGBT events ever to occur.”
“We are so grateful that our fellow Pride organizers from across the globe have chosen New York City for this momentous occasion,” Schneider said.
The next WorldPride will be held in 2017 and take place in Madrid.
Joseph Neese