Gay Pride in Brooklyn

June 28, 2009 will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that gave birth to the modern gay rights movement and this year our President, for the first time in US History, officially proclaimed that June is National LGBT Pride month. All of these things came together and gave a special meaning to the Pride events in Brooklyn this year.

The Brooklyn Pride festivities kicked off Thursday with “Celebrate Pride,” a reception at Borough Hall.

“Brooklyn has one of the largest LGBT communities in the country,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz. “[And] I have the highest percentage of gay staff in New York City.” Markowitz said he looks forward to marching in the 13th annual parade, as he has for the last 12 years.

As if Brooklyn Pride 2009 wasn’t notable enough, Markowitz’s speech that night also highlighted the creation of Brooklyn’s first ever LGBT Center. Once established, the “Brooklyn Community Pride Center” (BCPC) hopes to provide connections to services for Brooklyn residents similar to those of the LGBT Center in Manhattan. The services will include physical and mental health services, social support, recreational and cultural programming and information for LGBT individuals.

Thomas Smith, the President of the BCPC, hopes to begin to hire full-time staff for the BCPC in September. BCPC’s Board of Directors are in the process of identifying a future site for the Pride Center in Downtown Brooklyn with broad access for all of Brooklyn via public transportation. (For more information, visit www.lgbtbrooklyn.org)

Markowitz also expressed his support for marriage equality. “On the subject of gay marriage: I came to my senses during the reelection campaign of George Bush. I said to myself, ‘If you are committed to treating people equally, then love is love.’”

With five more US states recently legalizing gay marriage, the effort to legalize gay marriage in New York State was all the buzz during this year’s Brooklyn Pride events.

Priyanka Mitra is Marriage Equality New York’s District Community Organizer for Brooklyn Senate District 17, which includes Greenpoint, most of Williamsburg and parts of Bushwick. She shed light on how the effort to support Marriage Equality is being led in North Brooklyn. Mitra is in charge of distributing flyers requesting people to call their senators and ask them to support marriage equality.

“Senators are not hearing enough support for gay marriage,” said Mitra. “June 22nd is the end of the [New York State Senate] session. If [the state Senate] doesn’t bring it up by then, then it’s over until next year. So the push is to get senators to demand that they bring this bill to a vote because we would like to know how people stand on the bill.”

Political efforts weren’t the only focus of Brooklyn Pride. The week’s events culminated Saturday night in a lively march up Seventh Avenue giving Brooklyn Pride the crescendo it deserved.

As promised, Markowitz contributed to the fanfare of the night parade wearing a rainbow-colored feather boa on a personalized truck carrying rainbow flags and tens of dancing supporters.

Among others, the parade participants included Fire Department of the City of New York, Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, Hetrick-Martin Institute, Bill Thompson for Mayor, Lesbian Herstory Archives, Metropolitan bar and Sugarland nightclub of Williamsburg, Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) and the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association of New York City (SALGA NYC).

“Marriage Equality Now!” said Jo Anne Simon, as she marched down Seventh Avenue with the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn contingent.

“I’m very excited to be here. I’ve marched for years.” said Simon.

With unprecedented official recognition of National LGBT Pride month, support from the Borough president and the first ever Brooklyn Community Pride Center on its way, Brooklyn LGBT residents and allies certainly have much to be proud of this year.