Queens Pride welcomed friends, families, and neighbors to celebrate the 21st Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival on Sunday, June 2 with a host of activities to promote pride among and for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) community of Queens and beyond. Again this year, banners announced the 37th Avenue route of the Parade and Festival.

“Our theme, ‘Equality. Everyday. Everyone.’ acknowledges the extremely important decisions before the Supreme Court on marriage equality and the hard work that our New York legislature must do to provide full equality to transgender peoples,” said Chris Calvert, co-chair of Queens Pride.

This year, the parade honored PRYDE/Make the Road NY as a Grand Marshal. PRYDE, the LGBTQ Justice Project of Make the Road NY, works to empower LGBTQ communities of Brooklyn and Queens through organizing and education. Its membership is intergenerational, ranging from ages 14 to 50+. It is one of the few New York City groups founded, led, and constituted by low-income LGBTQ people of color organizing around public policy issues that have impacts at the citywide, state, and national levels.

The Parade kicked-off at 12 p.m. at 85th Street and 37th Avenue, ending on 75th Street. Marcus Woolen and Candy Samples once again hosted a reviewing stand in front of the Jackson Heights Post Office, where the Queenie Awards are judged. The awards honor the ingenuity and enthusiasm of groups in their demonstration of LGBTQ pride and is the theme of this year’s event.

The Festival began with nearly 100 vendors along 37th Road and 75th Street. Two stages featured entertainment throughout the day. The festival capped off with a performance by George LaMond, famous for songs such as “Bad of the Heart,” ”Don’t Stop Believin’,” and “Si Tu Te Vas.” A Bronx native, LaMond’s musical career began in the 6th grade, where he and school mates discovered he can sing.