Joyful Photos of New Yorkers at the Pride Parade

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Travel

Joyful Photos of New Yorkers at the Pride Parade

The weather was gorgeous, the streets of Manhattan were packed, and people of all ages, ethnicities, and genders marched together.

All photos by the author

This year's annual NYC Pride parade on Sunday coincided with the one-year anniversary of same-sex marriage being recognized by the Supreme Court. It also arrived just two weeks after the LGBTQ community was targeted at an Orlando nightclub in the [worst mass shooting]( http://www.vice.com/tag/orlando shooting) in United States' history.

Despite this harrowing tragedy, NYC Pride and its parade were filled with an overwhelmingly joyful energy. The weather was gorgeous, the streets of Manhattan were packed, and people of all ages, ethnicities, and genders marched together from 5th Avenue down to Christopher Street, before the parade culminated at the Stone Wall Inn, which was named a national monument on Friday.

Advertisement

Photographer Thomas McCarty was there to document the parade. He wrote the following about what he saw:

The Pride march moved with a powerful energy. A beautiful day of positivity and community was also shared with grieving and remembering. When New York City feels united, its impossible not to be optimistic. However, an air of caution lingered over the parade as armed policemen stood on every block and political activists used megaphones for sloganeering. When the route finally converged at Stonewall, though, hundreds of people packed the sidewalks to be in the presence of a truly historical monument. The queer community is powerful, loving, and invincible. When united, we're reminded of our strength, of the strength of those who came before us, and what we can accomplish and overcome together.

Check out his photos below and visit [Thomas's website](Joyful Photos of New Yorkers in Union at the Pride Parade) to see more of his work.