Pride Happens

"Weather was perfect, crowds were huge, colourful, friendly and very noisy," says Daisy Root. "The pavements were five or six deep down 5th Avenue..." Sounds like business as usual for the Pride Parade and its many constituent groups, including the Armenian Gay & Lesbian Association of New York, Polyamorous NYC, The Dollhouse, et alia. Then, the Pier. It was the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which put Frank Rich, among others, in a contemplative mood. Saturday morning's gay-bashing on the UES, and the diminished hopes of gay marriage in the state senate, are the down side of the equation, but the persistence of Pride here and around the world are hopeful signs at least. We thank D.A. candidate Cy Vance Jr.'s office for sending the photo of Governor Paterson, one of the Grand Marshals, and Speaker Quinn -- we hadn't room for Vance in this shot, alas, but there's an adorable one of him below the fold. (Oh, and of historical interest, here's one of Deborah "Electric Youth" Gibson at Denver Pride; amusing SF Pride commentary here.)