JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — On Sunday, June 1st, the streets of Jackson Heights pulsed with music, movement, and meaning as the New Queens Pride Parade 2025 brought thousands together to honor visibility, celebrate love, and resist injustice.
Born out of tragedy, the Queens Pride Parade began in 1993 in response to the hate-driven murder of Julio Rivera, a gay Puerto Rican man attacked just blocks from the parade route. This history still echoes through the event, which remains one of the most politically grounded Pride celebrations in New York City.
This year, amid a climate of rising anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and global conflict, protest was front and center. “No Pride in Genocide” signs filled the streets alongside Palestinian flags and chants for queer and trans liberation. Others marched with messages like “Protect Trans Health” and “Trump Must Go Now!”—a bold reminder that Pride is not just a party, but a call to action.
Still, the joy was undeniable.
Dancers in glittering costumes, shimmering gowns, and traditional Caribbean and South Asian garments spun through the streets with pride. Drag performers, pageant queens, and cheer squads brought their all—cheering, flipping, and voguing before a roaring crowd. Every feather, sequin, and painted sign radiated a fierce blend of beauty and bravery.
There was love in every direction: partners holding hands, families cheering from sidewalks, friends embracing beneath trans flags and Progress banners. The crowd wasn’t just colorful—it was unified. Even without the big brands. Notably absent this year were corporate sponsors, such as Target and others, who have pulled back their LGBTQ+ support under political pressure. But the spirit of the parade was louder, stronger, and more self-reliant because of it.
Queens Pride 2025 wasn’t sanitized—it was raw, joyful, radical, and real.
A celebration of what makes Pride powerful: visibility, resistance, culture, and care. From the pounding drums to the hand-painted signs, this was Pride in its purest form. And it marched forward with a message: We are still here. And we are not going anywhere.
