Gay Pride Day 1994 - New York City

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In 1994, NYC hosted the Gay Games, previously known as the Gay Olympics before the USOC protested the use of “Olympics” by gays. Gays and lesbians from all over the world converged on the city. 11,000 athletes from 2,000 cities in 40 countries on 6 continents competed in 31 sporting events. Add to that friends of athletes, spectators, those who flock to NYC annually for GPD, the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, all the gay people living here and you get an idea of the state of the city during the 8 days of the Games, Gay Pride Day and that year’s parade. Opening ceremonies for the Games took place at Wein Stadium at Columbia U. Closing ceremonies were at a sold out Yankee Stadium with all 55,000+ seats occupied.


For the first time, the parade that year took place on 1st Avenue and featured the largest gay flag ever displayed – it was blocks long. The crowds that year were overflowing west of 1st Avenue through 2nd. The entire east side of Manhattan was packed. I went up there myself as my partner was sleeping. I caught the parade at the UN. Incredibly enough, I ran into 2 friends there – amazing considering the number of people swarming around the parade. Having gone to Indiana University, I joined the Indiana contingent for a few blocks. I was seriously fired up.


1994 was the first year that a moment of silence was observed at 2 PM in honor of those who died of AIDS. It’s been done every year since. When I tell you that the crowd was huge and incredibly loud in cheering and applauding, I’m probably understating it. Just look at that pic – how incredibly thrilling was that view?! That’s exactly what I saw from the UN – that gigantic flag stretching as far as the eye could see.


At 2 PM I was still standing with my friends – all of us shirtless. (Yeah, I used to have a good body – a fond memory now.) At 2 PM, the minute of silence, I thought I’d gone deaf. For real. I have never experienced anything like that in my life. With the millions of people lining that route as well as the thousands upon thousands of marchers, you could literally hear a pin drop. There was absolute dead silence. I was incredulous and moved like I’ve rarely been moved in my life.

Another annual tradition on Gay Pride Day in NYC is an early evening dance. It was traditionally held on a huge pier jutting out into the Hudson River off West Street just north of Christopher. In 1994 this dance was held instead on the United States Navy aircraft carrier “U.S.S. Enterprise” docked as a museum on the Hudson River in Midtown. The Enterprise, among the most decorated naval vessels in the history of the US Navy, was swarming with gay guys dancing our drug-fried brains out.


For more info about 1994’s Gay Games and Gay Pride Day in NYC:


http://thecastro.net/gaygames/gaygamesIV.html