The New York annual Pride march and its radical cousin – the Queer Liberation March have geared up to offer tribute to the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in their own ways. While the former will be holding a virtual event, the Liberation March hopes to draw about 70,000 people on the streets.  

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The NYC Pride march will be broadcast as the organisers believe that it is too late to alter their plans, Reuters reports. 

“Because we will be broadcasting, we’ve been able to really highlight certain aspects of our community that you don’t normally get to see in a regular march here,” Sue Doster, co-chair of Heritage of Pride told Reuters.

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The virtual event is expected to see ‘millions’ of viewers join in at noon, Reuters quotes Doster. The broadcast, showcasing LGBTQ+, will be aired from a three-block stretch of Manhattan. The 51st grand march is themed as ‘the fight continues’ and will focus on the “fight for equal and equitable rights for all members of the LGBTQIA family,” Doster told Reuters.

On the other hand, the Reclaim Pride Coalition will be taking on the streets- 30 blocks – and marching for the third time. The coalition’s co-founder Jay W Walker is expecting 70,000 participants. 

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After seeing the protest being tied to the Black Lives Matter movement, Walker believes that the broad theme this year is ‘queer liberation’, Reuters says. The parade will also be live-streamed. 

Both the parades will be held on June 28, the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion.