It's that time of year again. Pride season. As it does every year, the Queens Heritage of Pride parade sort of kicks of the season with a quick parade and massive street fair starting at noon followed by the inevitable Jackson Heights pub/club crawl lasting late into the night.
The Parade
- As with any parade you just have to have a marching band and a flag corp.
- Also, like any parade, you must have your politicians present, such as Christine Quinn, New York City City Council Speaker (and lesbian).
- And, par for the course in any New York City parade, there will be bagpipes.
- Unlike most parades you also have to have a float filled with dancing lesbians with a swarm of dancing lesbians in pursuit.
The Street Fair
- Like any street fair there are booths selling all types of goods. Although chimney sweeping isn't typically among them the guy behing the table makes you sort of wish you had a fireplace.
- Also at a street fair is all sorts of meat. Some prefer beef, but I prefer calf.
- While some booths are popular, some are not. Perhaps the Log Cabin Republicans table was the loneliest little booth in New York.
- And of course at a street fair you are bound to see friends, like DJ Paul Ferrer, whose glasses I quickly stole. (Also of note is the lovely over my right shoulder.)
- And seeing friends that you haven't seen in years, like Hector and Rafael who worked with me over ten years ago (which makes them very old, but not me).
- Unlike other street fairs though, you get the added bonus of drag performers like Barbara. (What the video doesn't show well are the little kids watching wide-eyed in the windows of the building next door.)
The Rainbows
But pride festivities aren't really about parades or street fairs. They're about bringing together all the diverse elements of the gay and lesbian and transgendered and bisexual communities rainbows. Yes, pride is mostly about rainbows.
- There are rainbows in the sky.
- There are rainbows on the ground.
- There are rainbows being carried.
- And oh so many rainbows for sale.
After the jump, more parade and street fair pictures, more video, and way more rainbows.
