Reclaim Pride Coalition announced plans for the sixth annual Queer Liberation March, which is set to take place on June 30- the same day as the NYC Pride March.
The march will step off at Sheridan Square at 11:30am- 30 minutes after the NYC Pride March begins. The Queer Liberation March will then head south to Battery Park. The route intentionally gives marchers a view of the Statue of Liberty, according to Gay City News.
“The decision to march from Sheridan Square and the Stonewall to The Battery was born of a desire to honor the history of Pride, cover a wide swath of Manhattan, and bring the energy of Queer Liberation to lower Manhattan,” Reclaim Pride Coalition co-founder Jay W. Walker told Gay City News in a written statement. “Importantly, the March will end in view of the Statue of Liberty, an enduring symbol of the ever-present need to continue striving toward the ideals of “Liberty and Justice For All” upon which the country has claimed to be founded, but has consistently failed to achieve.”
The coalition announced this year’s theme over Instagram earlier this month: The Queer Liberation March for Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, Gender Nonconforming, and Nonbinary Youth & Against War and Genocide. Their statement specifically calls for solidarity for the people of Congo, Sudan, and Gaza.
View this post on Instagram
The Queer Liberation March was first held in 2019, with the goal to reclaim Pride as a protest and to center marginalized voices in the queer community.
“We seek to honor and reclaim the spirit of the Stonewall Riots,” their mission statement reads. “In the tradition of early Pride Marches, we reject corporate sponsorship and police involvement. As a community, we take to the streets to challenge systemic oppression, advocate for justice, and create a world where all queer and transgender individuals are free to live authentically and without fear.”
You can sign up to volunteer to assist with The Queer Liberation March here.
What Do You Think?