Stay in the Gay Ghetto
If you haven't heard by now, Mayor Bloomberg's office denied the parade permit submitted by Heritage of Pride, the non-profit group that organizes the annual Pride events in the city, to move the parade from Greenwich Village to 8th Avenue in Chelsea.
In a [press release] issued by Heritage of Pride, "HOP had received the unanimous approval of Community Board 4 to move the event to Chelseas 8th Avenue between 14th and 23rd Streets. PRIDEfest has most recently been held in the West Village on Washington and Greenwich Streets, a venue that has major safety issues due to the narrowness of the street, potholes, and other logistical problems. The area also offers few amenities to the hundreds of thousands of LGBT residents and international tourists who attend this annual Pride event. After serious consideration, HOP determined to move both the location and date of PRIDEfest."
So, although Chelsea said, bring it on, we want all that pink money, the city decided, hell's no, you won't go. Could it be that the 8th Avenue location is too close to Penn Station and all those unsuspecting tourists? It's OK to stay down in the[ winding streets of the former] gay ghetto but don't flaunt it out in the open?
On May 8, a meeting was held at the LGBT Center to determine the future of PRIDEfest and, according to the latest news: "The General Membership of HOP has approved a motion brought forward by its PRIDEfest committee to cancel the event if the city does not grant it a permit for its new date and location." [emphasis added].
Could this spell the end of one of the largest events in the city (that's been around for nearly 40 years since the Stonewall riots) and that, more importantly in the current consumer climate of NYC, attracts millions of shirtless big spenders? We'll keep you updated as the story unfolds.
Photo courtesy of [Perge Modo].