Since 1970, when the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade celebrated the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, New York City has hosted LGBTQ Pride Marches, in most years since on the last Sunday of June.
In 1994, when the city celebrated Stonewall 50, the Heritage of Pride March took an unusual route, up First Avenue past the United Nations. A faction of activists organized by ACT UP and Gay & Lesbian Americans, aiming to recapture the spirit of the 1970 march, instead traveled from the West Village up Fifth Avenue to Central Park.
Again in 2019, there were two major events: the traditional Heritage of Pride March celebrating WorldPride and Stonewall 50 and a Queer Liberation March organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, which has for several years pushed Heritage of Pride to reduce the corporate presence in its event, among other demands. The Reclaim Pride event ended with a Central Park rally.
This year, with COVID-19, Heritage of Pride has organized a week of virtual events, while Reclaim Pride once again plans to march in support of Black lives and against police brutality.
