On June 20, Globe — the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights project at Make the Road New York — hosted the fourth annual Bushwick Pride and Solidarity March. Each year, dozens of concerned community members march across Bushwick, Brooklyn to assert LGBT visibility and to recruit new allies in the fight against homophobia and transphobia in our neighborhoods.
Despite the rain, nearly 150 residents of all ages and orientations turned out for a two-hour march down Bushwicks most populous streets. Marchers carried signs reading, Latinos and African Americans for Same-Sex Marriage, and Someone You Know is Gay, and chanted Bushwick is a Hate-Free Zone! Participants were joined by New York City Council Members John Liu and Diana Reyna, and many other LGBT rights groups. The event finished with a barbecue and performances by Globe members, showcasing a great display of community solidarity and talent.
Tannavione Cintron, Globe member and Make the Road New York Board Member said, On the whole, people in the neighborhood were really supportive of the march. This year tons of people came out to watch and they clapped and waved and took pictures. I am so happy to see my community pulling together despite all the recent negativity toward LGBT people.
This year, we wanted to respond to recent hate-related crimes against Latino and LGBT members of our community. Earlier in June, two lesbians were needlessly harassed and assaulted by police officers outside a club in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and last December an Ecuadorian immigrant was ambushed and beaten to death in Bushwick by a gang of attackers shouting homophobic slurs. Globe responded to these terrible events by organizing community vigils and marches with elected officials and by convening a community forum in April that mapped out new ways to prevent hate crimes. Most recently, Globe helped to organize a protest on June 6 against police mistreatment of the LGBT community.
Globe is a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and queer people primarily from communities of color in Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Brownsville working to empower our communities through organizing and education. Globe organizes around public policy issues that have impact at the citywide, state, and national level.