The whole month of June is devoted to celebrating the LGBTQ+ group and its many accomplishments and contributions to society. It’s also essential to take a second to mirror on the struggles confronted by this group and the work nonetheless left to be finished in opposition to intolerance.
Since Delight can instantly hint its origins again to New York Metropolis, it’s only becoming that the Large Apple maintain a giant parade. This yr’s march takes place in the present day (Sunday, June 29, 2025) at 11 a.m. ET
Though some firms have scaled back their fanfare on account of an anti-DEI (range, fairness, and inclusion) local weather, one might argue that makes this yr all of the extra essential. Let’s check out the beginnings of satisfaction, this yr’s focus, and learn how to catch the parade each in individual and on tv.
A short historical past of the NYC Delight March
Whereas many name the festivities a parade, Heritage of Pride, the nonprofit behind Delight occasions in New York Metropolis, prefers the moniker march.
That’s due to the activist roots of the occasion. The march particularly honors the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. In the course of the Nineteen Sixties, same-sex public shows of affection equivalent to kissing, holding arms, and even dancing had been unlawful, so bars owned by organized crime teams grew to become locations of refuge for the group the place they might categorical themselves freely with out worry.
When police raided the Stonewall Inn on the morning of June 28, it angered bar patrons and those that witnessed the police harassment. A weeklong protest helped invigorate the fashionable homosexual rights motion.
The next yr, a march from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park was held to commemorate the occasion. In 1999, President Invoice Clinton made the first official presidential proclamation declaring June Delight Month. In 2016, President Barack Obama made the Stonewall Inn a nationwide monument.
The anti-DEI motion and Delight’s response
President Donald Trump’s second administration has rolled again many DEI initiatives, inflicting a ripple impact.
In consequence, many companies haven’t been as enthusiastic of their allyship the yr. A Gravity Research survey of greater than 200 company executives discovered 39% are scaling again in 2025, with zero people reporting a rise. Sixty-one % cited the Trump administration, conservative forces, and Republican policymakers as the rationale for this shift.
“Stand up: Delight in Protest,” this yr’s theme, seems to be a defiant response to the present political local weather. If these in energy gained’t acknowledge the group, the folks should step up.
“We should help each other, as a result of when probably the most marginalized amongst us are granted their rights, all of us profit,” Kazz Alexander, NYC Delight co-chair, said in a statement. “Delight isn’t merely a celebration of identification—it’s a highly effective assertion of resistance, affirming that justice and fairness will finally prevail for many who stay and love on the margins.”
What’s the route for the NYC Delight march?
The march will start at twenty sixth Road and fifth Avenue and conclude at fifteenth Road and seventh Avenue in Manhattan.
How a lot does it value to attend the Delight march?
The occasion is free to attend.
How can I watch or stream the NYC Delight march?
In the event you can’t attend in individual, be a part of this yr’s grand marshals Karine Jean-Pierre, Marti Gould Cummings, DJ Lina, Elisa Crespo and Trans formative Colleges on tv.
These watching from their properties can tune into WABC-TV, aka ABC-7, or wherever you live-stream abc7NY at 12 p.m. ET.
