So we can celebrate virtually, LGBTQ Nation asked our readers to share a photo with us from the first time they went to Pride. Submissions poured in from around the world, spanning every year from 1970 to 2019.
We’ve selected 30 of our favorite photos and stories so we can celebrate with a Pride In Pictures special series and we’ll be sharing them with you every day this month.
Name:
Chaz Ciullo
Never Miss a Beat
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Location:
Manhattan, New York City
Related: Pride in Pictures: The liberation of a ‘Gay In’ at a record-breaking kissing contest
What makes this photo special to you?
“I had just turned 21 a month prior to attending this Pride celebration in New York, 1980. Six months before, I had come out to my parents. They were – and still are – extremely supportive of who I am. This was my second NYC Pride – following the first I attended was in 1979 – but this year I was finally OUT.
“The feeling of being part of the great community that is always prevalent at Pride filled me with hopes and dreams if what could be. Of course, there have been some rough times since then – just 6 years after this, half of my friends and my lover at the time were dying. No one else seemed to care, but the community has always been there. The support I feel whenever I’m at an LGBTQ event brings me back to this day and that feeling…that I’m somewhere I belong.”