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New York City — The largest of the pride celebrations in the United States, more than one million people attended today's gay pride parade in New York, which commemorates the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

The 39th anniversary of the New York Pride Parade, the celebration held its first parade in 1970 to commemorate the one year anniversary of the riots, credited as the kick off of the gay rights movement.

This is a particularly memorable year for New Yorkers as newly appointed NYC Gov. David Paterson recently ruled that New York will recognize same-sex marriages from other states. 

Legally blind, Paterson drew cheers from the crowd, appearing in the parade one day after undergoing eye surgery, according to WNBC out of New York.

One of the largest and oldest LGBT events in the world, today's parade drew more than 500,000 marchers and one million viewers watching the parade pass by. 

The parade marches through midtown Manhattan and winds down in Greenwich Village, the hub of New York's gay community. 

New York's pride parade has taken on many different roles over the years. Often thought the most politically charged of the gay pride parades, in the mid '80s, the parade took on an activist role, shining a light on the AIDS epidemic, which had affected much of New York's gay community.

A moment of silence was observed at 2 p.m. to pay tribute to those the gay community has lost to AIDS.

Written By Angela D'Amboise
Article provided in partnership with GayLinkContent.com.

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