Photographs From The 2010 Christopher St. Liberation Day, aka Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Trans Pride, March

Here I, R. Paul, am resting against a planter on E. 40^th St. where we waited to be fed into the march on 5^th Ave. I have the lesbian and gay rainbow flag in one pocket and the bisexual flag in the other pocket.

The New York Area Bisexual Network was marching.

These folks are carrying a banner memorializing Brenda Howard, who was a pioneering bisexual activist, a member of the Gay Activists Alliance and other groups and was an active member of the Christopher Street Liberation Day Umbrella Committee which planned the first annual Christopher Street Liberation Day March, of which this was the 41^st.

These are the bigots who counter demonstrated against the march this year.

There are only 3 of them.

Their numbers have dwindled significantly over the years.

One guy is countering their counter.

So I had just taken the above photograph of the anti-gay bigots and I was walking back to the bisexual contingent, which had marched ahead a little ways. And this cop tries to stop me. He puts his arms out and tries to block me from getting back with my contingent, all the time telling me that I had to go back and couldn't get into the march.

I told him that I was already in the march. At no time had I gone up on the sidewalk, or left 5^th Ave. I had to argue with him to get him to stop blocking me, get out of my way and let me go. I had thought that I was going to end up with rather a confrontation there.

He relented, maybe because the other person he was with had said something, and I got around him and back into the march, which had then stopped again.

Looking at the photographs I can see that this guy is not a cop!

I think he's a part of the auxiliary police, citizens who help patrol neighborhoods but who have no police powers at all.

I've known some auxiliary police folks who have been decent people who try to keep their neighborhoods safe. I've also known some who've tried to shake down gay men late at night by claiming to be police officers and threatening the men.

So I guess this guy was just being officious on a Sunday afternoon in early Summer.

Every year I try to get this shot from just south of 36^th St.

You can see the large number of marchers ahead of us. We were actually quite far up towards the front of the march this year. So most of the marchers were behind us.

It's impressive that with only two of the sections of the march ahead of us, and we were in the second section, there are so many people arrayed along 5^th Ave.

This is a photograph looking north. You can see the lavender line that stretched all along the march route.

We actually had to fight for years before we were able to get that lavender line put in for the first time.

When I was with the Christopher St. Liberation Day Committee (CSLDC), the group that ran the march, and rally, until Heritage of Pride took it over for the 1985, march we hadn't been able to get the city to do that line, as they did for all other marches of a similar size.

I think it was in 1983, when those of us were running CSLDC were surprised by the city finally relenting and, mere days before the march, giving us a permit to march on 5^th Ave. Our previous permits had been for 6^th Ave., and in 1977, we'd forced our way onto 5^th Ave., the lavender line was one of the things we got along with the permit.

This is where the reviewing stand was. This was on the western edge of Madison Square Park. They have one there every year, but since the city has forced all marches to shorten their march routes there is no longer a reviewing stand on the 5^th Ave. side of the library at 42^nd St. That's where the large “We Remember” banner usually was.

All sorts of politicians come to the Pride March and advertise their campaigns.

Years ago they'd either run from us or run on a platform of getting all the gay men in New York City arrested!

Andrew Cuomo is running for Governor this year. I recall when his father and then Mayor Ed Koch were running against each other for Governor decades ago. A sound truck reportedly drove through the Bronx blaring the slogan “Vote for Cuomo, not the homo!”

And among gay politicians in New York City there were big rivalries between the Koch gay politicians and the Cuomo gay politicians. Their animosity endured for years. I never had any truck with either of them.

It looks like another generation has adhered to the Cuomo family of politicians. Should someone who's thought to be a closeted gay politician emerge as a serious opponent for the younger Cuomo I wonder if there will be any sound trucks going through the Bronx echoing old campaign slogans?

Here's a shot along the length of the Bi-Request banner showing Pickles of the North holding up her end.

And those pink, plastic shoes aren't just for Pride Marches.

On the right of this photograph is a free spirit whom Pickles tells me attends all sorts of events, including the annual Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. That's a live parrot perched atop his head.

Pickles is smiling at the free spirit's little dog who is being pushed along on a stroller by the free spirit's companion. The stroller also contains alternate chiffon dresses and other impedimenta necessary for a successful appearance.

Here's the space occupied by the original Stonewall Inn where the Stonewall Riots began in the wee hours of June 29, 1969. Some years ago another bar moved into the space and now calls itself the Stonewall Inn. Well, I guess it's a homage.

Pickles is marching on by.

The march is actually over at this point, at least it was over for us.

Here you can see the marchers, including someone on stilts, walking north on Greenwich St. where they sent us after we got to the very end of the march on Christopher St.

It was only about quarter after two o'clock in the afternoon at this point. For quite a few years we were still standing around on the side street staging area waiting to begin the march at this hour!

Section 2, where we were this year, certainly gets done earlier than Section 10, where we've been in years past.

So there's another Pride March, my 40^th.