LETTER FROM THE CO-CHAIRS
What are your dreams? As Co-Chairs of Heritage of Pride, we learn about and meet some amazing folks in the LGBT community here in New York City— like dedicated people at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services who advocate for transgender/gender non-conforming youth or hard-working individuals at SAGE who run the country’s first full-time LGBT senior centers. Just a few short years ago, such ideas were just dreams. Who would have thought that we would find the resources to establish mainstream programs for our community? On one hand, we have a city agency recognizing the need to better serve all children, and then making that happen. On the other hand, we have an LGBT organization receiving funding from the city and a major national corporation to enable seniors to have a welcoming place to learn, grow, and share experiences. These services started with a dream, buried deep in a thought and a prayer, and were brought to fruition by courageous individuals who knew that they could complete the dream.
To reduce LGBT teen suicide? Eliminate bullying in every place it lurks? Outlaw conversion therapy? Create gender-neutral restrooms in every public space? Reach true global marriage equality? Over the course of NYC Pride Week you’ll be exposed to people working on these and other important efforts. We hope that you will be inspired to take action to follow your own dreams. Whether you find your inspiration sitting on a blanket with your spouse and children watching Finding Nemo at our Family Movie Night, listening to a speaker at our Rally, dancing with wild abandon at one of our dance events, or marching down Fifth Avenue with thousands of your friends, we hope that you will take the next step towards completing your dream. As the home of the Stonewall Riots, many consider New York City to be the birthplace of the LGBT rights movement. Each of you play a part in fostering Stonewall’s global legacy. As Co-Chairs, we want to thank all of the committed people who continue to make our events a focal point of the LGBT rights movement in our country and around the world. We hope that all of you have a wonderful time at NYC Pride and we look forward to your efforts and actions to ensure full global equality in the very near future.
Together, we will complete the dream! —Maryanne & Mike 10