A City of Change

“I think one of our greatest strengths is our diversity. The story of New York City is the story of peaceful coexistence and us being able to allow everyone to live their lives and do it together.”

Corey Johnson

Fifty years have passed since the Stonewall riots, a series of “spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village”. Despite being born decades later, the feelings of this tragedy do not affect me any less. According to All That’s Interesting, “being gay was as illegal as stealing cars or embezzling money.” This meant that if someone was to dress in drag they could face charges or the potential of being arrested. To make matters worse, the State of New York was so committed to abiding by these laws that it set about entrapping potential lawbreakers (All That’s Interesting). I cannot even begin to fathom a New York City in which controversy is raised over who someone loves, nor can I even begin to imagine New York City being so strict in terms of gay rights.

It is the year 2019, and so much has changed. New York City has its first-ever openly gay City Council Speaker, the Broadway play, ‘The Prom,’ directly confronts LGBTQ issues, there is a large population of openly gay and lesbian couples that I have noticed all over New York City, and last, but not least, the fact that WorldPride was held right here! But, hey, what a wonderful place to hold it, considering it is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots this year. In fact, the same weekend that pride was held, City Council Speaker, Corey Johnson announced the move to “nearly double funding for the programs marks a sea change in New York’s approach to the gay community” (Goldiner). New York has made great strides over the years and continues to every day.

Part of the wonders of living in New York City for the summer was the fact I got to experience the first time that the U.S. hosted WorldPride. After about a 23-minute subway ride, I was walking up the stairs of the 23rd Street subway station where immediately I heard the music from the parade, coupled with the roar of the crowd. The streets were filled with people identifying at every point on the spectrum; even families with their children, all wearing rainbow items or holding flags to show their support, were OUT and about. Walking through the streets was definitely overwhelming, because of the millions of people, but it was nevertheless comforting. It did not matter your sexual orientation, your race, nor your ethnicity; in short, it did not matter who you were. Everyone was genuinely happy. It was heartwarming to see such a diverse crowd come together, and celebrate, because that is the most important thing for the success of a global community.