A memorial with their photos will be set up inside City Hall.
Victims will be honored with a moment of silence when the march reaches the grandstand. It’s “such an important way for these two communities to come together,” said Watts, whose group also has members joining other parades.Īt San Francisco’s parade, a “We’re Orlando” group of about 300 people will be fourth in the lineup. She and 19-year-old daughter Emma, who is gay, plan to join about 200 other people behind the group’s banner in the parade. “As the mom of a gay teen, Orlando terrified me,” says Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. And gun-control, anti-gun-violence groups have joined the lineup since the shooting forged new bonds between them and gay-rights activists. A “We Are Orlando” solidarity group has been added to the lineup. Marchers will carry 49 orange flags - the color of choice for campaigns against gun violence - through the route. In New York, the lead float will be dedicated to the victims. To be sure, the often raucous marches will be tempered with messages of respect and grief for the 49 people massacred and more than 50 wounded in Orlando. A 1969 police raid on the bar helped catalyze the gay rights movement. Sunday’s parades also have a new milestone to mark: President Barack Obama on Friday designated the site around New York City’s Stonewall Inn as the first national monument to gay rights. And I was, like, I’m going, to show my support.” “My dad was, like, I’m worried after Orlando. She said she brushed aside her father’s concerns in showing up. She’d planned to come anyway, “but what happened in Orlando made me want to come more,” said Restrepo, swathed in a multicolored scarf. That included Chelsea Restrepo, 15, of Staten Island, who came to the march for the first time. In New York City, pre-parade activities included a handful of people walking down traffic-free Fifth Avenue holding banners with photos of those who died.Īuthorities expected a larger than usual crowd. Paradegoers will see increased security, anti-violence messages and tributes to those killed in Orlando. Celebrations planned around such themes as supporting transgender people and pressing for economic justice have quickly taken on new meanings.