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For the first time in its half-century history, New York City Pride has been canceled.
During a briefing this morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the cancellation of permits for all large in-person gatherings for the month of June, which includes the Celebrate Israel, Puerto Rican Day and LGBTQ Pride parades.
"New York City is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. We’ve come a long way since the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March 50 years ago, which is a testament to the bravery and resiliency of LGBTIA+ New Yorkers in the struggle for equality," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "While this [current situation] prevents us from coming together to march, it will in no way stop us from celebrating the indelible contributions that the LGBTIA+ community has made to New York City or from recommitting ourselves to the fight for equal rights."
While Pride won't be physically taking over Manhattan this summer, there will still be ways to feel connected to the community virtually.
Debra O’Connell, WABC-TV President & General Manager, explained one such streaming events in a statement, "WABC Channel 7 will continue to support Heritage of Pride this year by broadcasting a special NYC Pride programming event in June to all communities across the NYC and tri-state area. This virtual event will shine a light on Pride month and the incredible stories of unity and strength by utilizing the powerful reach of ABC-7, the number one station in the market, and the deep connection we have with our viewers and communities."
Heritage of Pride, the organization behind the march, also announced shortly after the mayor's press conference that they've agreed to join the virtual Global Pride 24-hour virtual event happening on Saturday, June 27.
It will be broadcasted around the world—not far off from the televised New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square.
Ron deHarte, co-president of the United States Association of Prides and a member of the InterPride organizing committee, said "the plan is to have this 24-hour program that will be a worldwide celebration of pride. It will peak in time zones around the world, and in each of those time zones, those regional pride organizations and those local pride organizations will be directly involved in that programming component," deHarte said.
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