Pride Celebrations Aim To Bring Joy In A Safe Way As Cities Reopen : NPR - 0 views
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The Stonewall Inn isn't having any big, in-person events to kick off Pride Month. It hosted a virtual event instead. But across the street from the historic bar, a slow stream of visitors stops to admire Greenwich Village's Stonewall National Monument. It's a small, gated park circled by rainbow flags and photographs of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
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Menendez usually celebrates by marching in the New York City Pride parade and walking around Greenwich Village. He expects a lot of joy this Pride, because over the past few weeks New York City has relaxed many restrictions on dining and gathering. "The streets are going to be on fire and alive, and I think people are going to be everywhere celebrating," he says.
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A year ago, most Pride celebrations were completely off the table due to the pandemic. This year, Pride organizers are planning events throughout the month of June and trying to bring back the joy, while still navigating COVID-19 restrictions.
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Last month, New York City Pride did announce a new policy limiting police presence at its events until 2025. This includes participation of the NYPD's Gay Officers Action League, which normally marches in the Pride parade.
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One in-person event planned for New York City is the Queer Liberation March. It's an alternative rally that started a few years ago. Organizers said corporations and police were too present at the official Pride parade.
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He is still figuring out the logistics of putting an event together by the end of the month. But he's excited that people can celebrate Pride at Alibi this year.
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Many LGBTQ bars are also having trouble predicting what Pride month will look like. Alexi Minko, owner of the Black queer bar Alibi in Harlem, says he was surprised when the city announced that many dining and event restrictions would be lifted by June.
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She reopened indoor seating for fully vaccinated people. But customers still cannot stand inside. That means crowds can't pack in, shoulder-to-shoulder, like they normally do during Pride.
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Menichino expects to see a lot of joy and relief from customers this Pride month, even if they're sitting at carefully placed tables rather than dancing.
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She says crowds might be smaller anyway because so many public events are still virtual. But she's grateful for a partial return of Pride programming.