Crowds showed up for even a truncated march! (All images by Matthew Rettenmund) Pride was physically tumultuous for me in 2019, since I'd spent like six months with no exercise while nursing my sick pooch back to health; I'll never forget the feat of endurance it was to see Madonna perform then.
Pride in 2020 was virtually nonexistent. Everyone was in good cheer. This year, because NYC had not fully reopened when plans were laid, Pride was a mish-mash of classic and cautious, crowded and sparse, big and small — and I must say I was shocked just how often it landed on classic, crowded and BIG.
It was also punishingly humid out — we are entering a days-long heat wave — making this year's theme of The Fight Continues feel more like The