LGBTQ pride was in full view yesterday, at a rooftop celebration in Mott Haven.
The Bronx borough president’s office sponsored the revelry, which featured music and fashion from the ‘80s at Rosa’s restaurant on Park Avenue.
Jenn, who hosted and performed at the event, stressed the importance of holding a pride event in The Bronx.
“The Bronx doesn’t get a lot of visibility, especially in the realm of the queer community that lives here in the Bronx,” said Jenn.
One performer who called themselves Blue, was delighted to see the big crowd in the neighborhood they grew up in.
“To be honest, a lot of bookings as a drag queen that comes through is like, ‘Hey, you wanna do this party?’ But to show up and see like there’s actual representation and like, support for the queer community in the South Bronx. It is pretty cool,” said Blue.
Some at the event stressed that the Bronx has come a long way since their time growing up in the Boogie-Down. Roberto Collazo, who attended the event for the first time, wasn’t exposed to celebratory events like this growing up and he was proud to see the celebration.
Press Canday recalled how dangerous it was to come out when he was growing up in the Bronx during the ‘80s, because of the stigma surrounding the gay community. Canday said events like the rooftop celebration at Rosa’s show how far the Bronx has come.
It was the second time Borough President Vaness Gibson’s office sponsored the annual event.
Gibson’s staff and LGBTQ task force arranged the event to honor the community leaders and sponsors.
“We wanted to do something different because we are just unique,” said Gibson. “We like to do things big and we are grand. And we wanted to have a unique creative spin on pride.”
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