12 Photos From the First-Ever Pride Parades in New York City

On June 29, 1970, the headline of The New York Times’ front page read: “Thousands of Homosexuals Hold a Protest Rally in Central Park.”

Holding colorful signs, thousands of people gathered in Sheridan Square before walking along the Avenue of the Americas. They chanted slogans, such as “2-4-6-8. We don’t overpopulate,” and later hosting a sit-in in Sheep Meadow. Marchers reportedly took up 15 city blocks.

This spectacle marked the world’s very first Gay Pride March.

Only a year after the Stonewall Riots, in which patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, fought back against a police raid, the march was organized by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee to commemorate the riots.

What began as a commemoration quickly became one of the first steps in the broader gay rights movement in the United States.

Activists Kay Tobin and Diana Davies were there to capture the very first parade and photograph those who bravely stepped out of the closet and into the streets.

Men hold a banner during Christopher Street Liberation Day, 1970.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

People march for LGBT rights at Christopher Street Liberation Day, 1970.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

Marchers walk hand in hand at Christopher Street Liberation Day march, 1970.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

People meet at Sheep Meadow in Central Park, New York, June 28, 1970 at Christopher Street Liberation Day, 1970.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

People pose on Christopher Street Liberation Day, June 20, 1971.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

Marchers on the street during Christopher Street Liberation Day, June 20, 1971.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

Scenes from Christopher Street Liberation Day, June 20, 1971.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

Street portrait on Christopher Street Liberation Day, June 20, 1971.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

A couple poses in Sheep Meadow, Central Park at Christopher Street Liberation Day, NYC, 1971.
Image: Kay Tobin/The New York Public Library

Street scenes at Christopher Street Liberation Day, 1971.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library

Man and woman with "All You Need is Love" sign at Christopher Street Liberation Day, NYC, 1971.
Image: Kay Tobin/The New York Public Library

Christopher Street Liberation Day, 1971.
Image: Photo by Diana Davies/The New York Public Library