The Bo Show

NYC GAY PRIDE ‘08 - Street Interviews

(Audio Below)

Just like the March which made its way down Fifth Avenue on Sunday, June 29, 2008, to its inevitable end, New York City’s Gay Pride celebration has officially come to a close. The March, which originated in 1970 to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, is one year shy of it’s 40th anniversary (mark your calendars for next year). It was a day of pride, joy, determination and protest.

It’s estimated that over one million spectators lined the streets of Manhattan running from 52nd Street, all the way down Fifth Avenue wrapping around and twisting its way past Sheridan Square, where our brothers and sisters banded together 39 years ago to fight for some of the equal rights we have today. Because of these men and woman, and others after them, NYC’s gay pride celebration has grown from a few thousand marchers, to close to 500,000.

These members of the LGBT community have helped transform the way the Big Apple views us, as well as how we are viewed across the entire U.S. and foreign countries. Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg says, “New Yorkers know that our unparalleled diversity is a source of strength and our great City has long been a beacon of equality and inclusiveness – so it is no surprise that we are home to one of the nation’s most vibrant Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual communities.”

With the pride, which was shown today, I’ve hit the streets and asked people why they love being gay? What do you think? Is it because we get to show our true colors? Don’t put away your rainbow flags just yet… pride is something we should show everyday!

Personal Note From Bo:

I have to be honest and say, this was my very first time attending a NYC Pride event. I never thought it would be something I would be interested in. But, it wasn’t until I went to an event at The Center, where members of the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activist Alliance, spoke about their participation in the Stone Wall Riots, and marching in the very first March in 1970 called “Gay-In.”

I was lucky enough to see about eight minutes of raw footage taken during the original March. Although the men and women in the film looked straight out of a 1970’s movie, their personalities felt like those of the men and women who are my friends today, and sit on my couch and chairs right now in 2008. I realized we are all still the same – except for the weird mustaches. I realized I had no choice but to attend this year’s March, to show my respect and love to my brothers and sisters who were braver than most of the people we bump into on the streets today.

I never thought of marching the March. But, now I know… from the moment I heard, and saw the revved up engines of the Dykes on Bikes, I have never wanted to be part of a community more. Lets fast forward to me standing on the corner of 8th and Sixth Avenue. It’s crazy, but I was moved to tears when I saw my brothers and sisters – young and old – joining together and celebrating something that most of us had painfully hidden during some part of our lives. There was a time when I would have never thought about the reality of kissing a man. That has changed, and I’ve lived it. There was a time when I would have never thought about the reality of feeling the warm and strong, and often soft, embrace of a man. That has changed, and I’ve lived it. There was a time when I would have never thought about the reality of saying I love you to a man and then hearing it back. That has changed, and I’ve lived it. Finally, there was a time when I would have never thought about the reality of marching in the NYC Gay Pride March. That has changed, but I have yet to live it. Please keep your eyes open, next year, as we celebrate 40 years of growth and union since Stone Wall, I will be in that parade – rain or shine, smiling from cheek to cheek… ideally on the back of a bike, being driven by a dyke! I have never been more proud than standing on that corner in downtown Manhattan. We are truly “family,” and I whole-heartedly get it.