Brooklyn Celebrates 16th Annual Gay Pride

"It's important to be here because part of the point of Callen-Lorde is to provide services to all of New York's LGBT communities," said volunteer Anthony Vavasis of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. "Although we're limited by our physical space and have to be in the city because that's where our home center is, we're committed to providing health care to everyone in New York who requires and desires sensitive services geared toward the LGBT-identified."

Vavasis said that Callen-Lorde has a mobile unit to reach other areas, and has partnered with LGBT organizations in other boroughs to provide services. In a recent conversation, Brooklyn Pride Community Center Executive Director Erin Drinkwater told EDGE that they had discussed the possibility of working with Callen-Lorde to provide satellite health care services to Brooklyn's LGBT community. The BCPC also worked with local groups to present a May 29 Pride event called "Secure and Pride," a look at staying safe for Pride, from intimate partner violence to bad hook-ups.

"The impetus for having this event was because we know that historically during June, there are notable crimes against the LGBT community," said Drinkwater. "An AVP report demonstrated a nationwide LGBT increase in violence, and part of the event was making sure people know the resources available to report crimes...because they are often underreported among the transgendered and people of color. It was a good event, and a nice way to start out Pride season."

The BCPC also marched with a large contingent in the Night Parade, and hosted a Youth BBQ in Bushwick, with Drinkwater saying, "We are doing more to represent the entire diversity of the Brooklyn borough."

Also tabling at the Street Festival was Spencer Casseus, outreach coordinator from Brooklyn Men Konnect, a group started in 2010 in partnership with the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force. He said the group would be around this city this month at clubs, street festivals and health fairs until September.

"Our main mission is to assist men of color -- gay, bisexual, and/or men who have sex with men -- to have access to HIV/AIDS care, services, housing, social services, mental and substance abuse assistance under the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force," said Casseus.

Brooklyn Pride Festival and Night Parade

Inside Prospect Park, the annual Pride Festival was off to its usual lackluster start by 1 p.m., when rock outfit The Thornes took to the stage to play a 30-minute set of their new music, to a crowd of about 20 people.

Sharing emcee duties were female impersonators Luscious Lola and Vanessa Valtre, with drag king Manny Mango from the performance troupe Switch n' Play, which performed later that afternoon.

Other performers included Tina Turner impersonator Ron B., singers and rappers Royal Regal, Young Kaii, P VAZ, OH MY JOSH, CJ, Shadina and Tara Hack. Dance presentations were given by Latin/ballroom group Rhythm Locura and KSDC. Also appearing was genderqueer nerd comic Kelli Dunham.

Although the performers gave it their all, crowd turnout was low again this year and the event seemed unorganized and unprofessional, spurring some attendees to question why Brooklyn Pride doesn't partner with larger Brooklyn LGBT organizations to present a more cohesive stage show that truly represents the borough's wealth of talented LGBT professional performers.

The annual Night Parade, down Park Slope's Fifth Avenue from 14th Street to Union Street, found a much better attendance. The parade stepped off at 7:30 p.m., led by the Sirens Motorcycle Club and featuring emcees Ron B. and Will Clark.

Marching under the City Council banner were Councilmembers Danny Dromm, Letitia James and Domenic Recchia, Jr. In addition, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz rode atop his customary perch on a pickup truck float, waving to all the participants and wishing them a happy Pride.

Other participants included a colorful float by GMAD, the Dykes on Bicycles, Cheer New York, the New York City Gay Basketball League, the Lambda Independent Democrats, the Stonewall Democrats, the Southern Brooklyn Democrats, the BCPC, the African Ancestral Lesbians United for Social Change, the Brooklyn Kings County Chamber of Commerce, Make the Road NYC, the Ali Forney Center, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, the Audre Lorde Project and more.

The only thing marring an otherwise solid showing at the parade was consistent heckling, delivered steadily to all passing groups, by a Middle-Eastern man in a salmon colored polo shirt. Most participants ignored his constant finger wagging and cursing, which did not seem specifically anti-LGBT in nature.

At the conclusion of the Night Parade, LGBT revelers packed Park Slope's many pubs and nightclubs, including the lesbian bar Ginger's and the gay men's bar Excelsior, where capacity crowds spilled out into the street.