NYC Pride Parade 2014: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

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Sunday, June 29, is the historic and world-famous NYC pride parade to commemorate LGBT empowerment, history and progress. The parade will travel its usual route, ending in the historic seat of the LGBT liberation movement, the West Village.

Here is what you need to know:

1. The Parade Starts at Noon at 36th & 6th

The pride parade will begin at noon at intersection of 35th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. The parade will then march south, cutting west at 8th Street, and then will end in the heart of the West Village at the intersection of Christopher Street and Greenwich Street.

2. The Grand Marshals Are Laverne Cox, Rae Carey & Jonathan Groff

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The leaders of the parade, the honorific role of Grand Marshal, will this year be given to actor Jonathan Groff of HBO’s Looking and Frozen, Orange is the New Black‘s Laverne Cox, and Rae Carey, an LGBT activist and the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

3. The Entire Event Will Be Livestreamed on Youtube

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In a collaboration between Google, Mashable and the parade, the entire parade will be live streamed on Youtube in what the organization is calling “#PrideCast. You will be able to watch all of the events live via NYCPride.org starting a 12:30 p.m.

4. The Parade Commemorates the Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots

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The parade is held every year in late June to commemorate the June 28, 1969, Stonewall Riots. The riots occurred when, after decades of police oppression of LGBT individuals and LGBT friendly establishments, cops attempted to raid the Stonewall Inn, a legendary gay bar in the West Village. After a spirited decade of protest and more than enough humiliating raids and arrests, the LGBT community protested against one late night raid by refusing to comply with the police. What began with throwing quarters and bottles at police, quickly escalated when a massive crowd chased the police out of the neighborhood.

The event is remembered as the beginning of the gay liberation movement.

5. One Year Ago DOMA Was Defeated by the Supreme Court

Following the landmark 2013 decision by the Supreme Court, the pride parade can add another historic celebration to its list of remembrances. One year ago, the Supreme Court ruled against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), once and for all determining that a state could not ban same-sex marriage.