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30th Annual Queens Pride Parade Draws Big Crowd to Jackson Heights

The 30th annual Queens Pride Parade took place on 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights Sunday (Photo: Queens Post)

June 6, 2022 By Czarinna Andres

Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Jackson Heights Sunday to celebrate Pride Month with the return of the borough’s largest pride event.

More than 100 groups marched down 37th Avenue for the 30th Annual Queens Pride Parade after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams lead the parade along with three grand marshals, including city council speaker Adrienne E. Adams, and representatives of the nonprofits Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo and the Caribbean Equality Project.

A large city council contingent was visibly present at the front of the parade including Queens councilmembers Tiffany Cabán who represents Astoria, Lynn Schulman representing Forest Hills, Julie Won from Sunnyside and many more.

Councilmember Shekar Krishnan who represents Jackson Heights was also in attendance. He said: “the New Queens Pride parade was a resounding success and much needed after a two-year hiatus.”

Councilmember Shekar Krishnan with council speaker Adrienne Adams at the Queens Pride Parade Sunday (Photo courtesy of Office of Council Member Shekar Krishnan)

The parade was co-founded by former Jackson Heights Council Member Daniel Dromm and gay rights activist Maritza Martinez in 1993 to bring visibility to the LGBTQ community. The event was prompted by the death of Julio Rivera, a 29-year-old gay man who was killed in Jackson Heights as a result of a hate crime in 1990.

This year, the parade was organized by the LGBT Network. Dromm is the chair of the organization’s Community Advisory Council.

“Thirty years ago, Danny Dromm and Maritza Martinez organized the first parade over evening meetings in cramped apartments, in response to the hate crime-murder of Julio Rivera in a Jackson Heights school yard,” Krishnan said.

“Yesterday, we celebrated Danny, Maritza, the LGBT Network, and the New Queens Pride. We re-committed ourselves to the work ahead for our LGBTQIA+ communities.”