Faces of Queer Liberation

On June 30, 2019, the Reclaim Pride Coalition led a crowd of more than 45,000 in the inaugural Queer Liberation March. The march was designed in opposition to the annual NYC World Pride Parade, which many have seen as increasingly corporate and over-policed. The Queer Liberation march was designed to be a march without cops, corporations, or barricades. Held on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, it followed the route of the 1970 Christopher Street Liberation Day March, beginning outside of Stonewall and ending with a rally in Central Park's Great Lawn.

The march's organizers and those who choose to participate did so out of the belief that pride must be a protest until all members, including the most vulnerable, of the queer community are protected from harm. A great deal of focus was placed on the fact that Stonewall was a riot led by trans women of color - the same demographic which faces enormous danger today.

These photos are a portrait of of those who made the choice to reclaim pride. Those who chose to align themselves with the queer community's long tradition of resistance against oppression and protection of the vulnerable and those who understand that no one is free until all are.