Honors For Local Family, Gay Org.
City Council Member Daniel Dromm, Rep. Joseph Crowley and Queens Pride announced last week that the Julio Rivera family and Queens Center for Gay Seniors will serve as the grand marshals for the 20th Annual Queens Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Parade and Festival which will be held on Sunday, June 3 in Jackson Heights.
As described, Dromm originally founded the Queens Pride Parade and Festival in response to the anti-gay murder of Julio Rivera in 1990 and in opposition to the gay-inclusive curriculum called “Children of the Rainbow.” These events brought the LGBT community of Queens together to achieve respect, and in doing so, identified a need to take LGBT advocacy to the streets, Dromm stated.
“When we started this parade we wanted everyone to know that we, in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, are their family, friends and neighbors,” said Dromm, who in 1992 came out as an openly gay public school teacher and is also a former co-chair of Queens Pride. “In many ways this parade has opened the hearts and minds of Queens residents to make this moment possible. On its 20th anniversary, I am thrilled to have the Rivera family and the Queens Center for Gay Seniors as our grand marshals.”
“For 20 years, the Queens Gay Pride Parade has brought the entire community together to celebrate and embrace our rich diversity,” said Crowley. “I am honored to stand with my good friend Councilman Dromm and Queens Pride in officially kicking off this year’s festivities by naming this year’s parade marshals. I know it’s going to, once again, be a great event for the Queens community.”
“We are excited that the Rivera Family and the Queens Center for Gay Seniors will join us as Grand Marshals this year,” said Queens Pride Co-Chair Chris Calvert. “Both have been great supporters of Queens Pride throughout our 20 year history and are central to the struggles that led to our founding. It is fitting to recognize them as we mark this milestone for the LGBTQ community of Queens.”
“The Family of Julio Rivera is extremely honored to be the Grand Marshals for the 2012 Queens Pride Parade,” said Rita Barakos, Julio Rivera’s stepsister. “You honor his memory in a most meaningful way. We are forever grateful to the LGBT community of Jackson Heights and all who have contributed to the LGBT movement in Queens and New York City.”
Julio Rivera, an openly gay bartender from Jackson Heights, was killed in a July 1990 attack that was later ruled to be a hate crime.
“We are so happy to be the Grand Marshals of this year’s Queens Gay Pride Parade,” said Queens Center for Gay Seniors Director John Nagel. “We represent the face of LGBT seniors from all five boroughs.”
The Queens Center for Gay Seniors is the only community-based senior center in Queens that provides educational and recreational activities for LGBT older adults.
The first Queens Pride march was held in June 1993, and since that time, the parade and festival have grown tremendously, Dromm noted. Attracting more than 40,000 spectators, the parade is now the second largest Pride celebration in the New York metropolitan area. The Queens celebration is the first in a series of events that kick off a month of Pride activities citywide.
With “A Generation of Pride in Queens” as this year’s theme, the parade kicks off at noon in Jackson Heights and starts at 85th Street and 37th Avenue, moves down 37th Avenue and ends at 75th Street, where it disperses into the festival. The Multicultural Festival runs from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and is held on 37th Road between 73rd to 77th Street.
Queens Pride promotes the visibility and accomplishments of the LGBT community and fosters acceptance by the many cultures and religions represented in our borough
