Corporate Pride in NYC

With the Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states, New Yorkers had a big reason to celebrate Pride this past weekend. However, not everyone in the Big Apple’s queer community was stoked on the festival itself, which has evolved from its roots on the margins to something more mainstream.

Photographer Sam Clarke attended the Pride Parade in Manhattan’s West Village, as well as the Dance on the Pier event in Tribeca where Ariana Grande performed. Sam had this to say about the increasing commodification of Pride that he saw firsthand:

“The NYC Pride march and accompanying festival has turned very straight and mainstream, with corporate sponsors like TD Bank and MetLife (probably places that once fired people for being gay) hashtagging their brand #foreverproud and #metlifepride on the Pride experience. When did it become OK for corporations to put their logos on the blood, sweat, and tears of what this march represents?”

Happy Pride, New York. See Sam’s photos below.

See more photos by Sam Clarke here.