The signs are the best part of the March. No, not the ones representing corporations, bearing trademarks, or flashing some time-tested cliche. They waft by like pop-up ads, website links, or 20% discounts for something in your shopping cart. You can see those anywhere so they’re easy to ignore. The ones I’m talking about make you think, shake your head, or burst out laughing. You can usually catch them fronting a small group or being offered by a single, solitary person. And after you’ve read one, you feel like you’ve participated in the March somehow. Like in the reading or reciting a sign’s words to yourself, you’ve having a conversation. And if you went to the March alone, it’s like you had dozens of meaningful chats with actual, real friends. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!
The signs fell into two loose categories. The first featured bold colors projecting lines of equity and inclusion. They were deeply affirming for both LGBTQ people and their allies:
The second array was more stark than the first, sacrificing color for urgent messaging. Most of these signs were political; but, in being so, imbued the March with a sense of its own history. After all, the original Pride was sparked by a protest, so what better than these emblems to carry that tradition:
Photos by Rick Stachura. Greenwich Village. June 29, 2025.
(1) 7th Avenue South and West 12th Street.
(2) Christopher Street and Greenwich Avenue.
(3, 5, 6) West 8th Street.
(4, 7) 7th Avenue South and West 14th Street.
(8) 7th Avenue South and Perry Street.
(9) Christopher Street and Gay Street.