![nyc gay pride march 2016 nyc gay pride march 2016](https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/newshour/app/uploads/2016/06/RTX2IC2F.jpg)
The Stonewall riots in late June of 1969 in New York City’s Greenwich Village - started after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn gay bar on Christopher Street - marked a turning point for the modern gay rights movement in the United States and eventually helped launch the revolution around the world. June is a month filled with Pride celebrations around the world because of its significance in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. It was originally published in June of 2019. “It was shocking to scroll through and see 770 acts of violence that occurred in 13 months.Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information. Speaking about the piece of research that affected her the most, she added: “For me it was finding a press release from Organisation of American States that basically was an excel sheet of violence towards LGBTI peoples in the Americas and The Caribbean between 2013-2014. Roxana’s story really propelled my interest in researching the policies and societal norms that LGBTQIA+ people face in our neighbouring countries.” “Roxana was fleeing persecution, tried entering the US multiple times and eventually died in ICE custody. “Before signing up for this research push, I had read about Roxana Hernandez, a transgender woman fleeing Honduras, who was seeking asylum. “I chose to focus my research on Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras because of its regional position and intersection with current hot button immigration issues,” Rachel explained. Rachel Levit was also part of the research team who brought the powerful display together, explaining that her reason for marching was in honour of queer people being fatally persecuted around the globe. “It was really encouraging to see the majority of the crowd raise a fist or place a hand to their hearts when we passed by – a small tribute to our queer siblings who are disenfranchised and hidden – persecuted or buried.” Speaking about the reaction to their display, Dominic Finelli, a member of the Voices4 Research Committee, said: “I heard one person call our funeral procession a buzzkill, and I was so proud. I immigrated from South Korea to the United States in 1996 so I know the importance of proper representation and how difficult that can be.” “We knew our plan was a lofty one and the pressure was on between beating deadlines, signing up volunteers, and making sure we were capturing the spirit of the communities represented on our signs. “The visuals team scoured the archives of our predecessors and contemporaries to pay homage to those who inspired our formation and structure as a group, from ACT UP’s funeral procession to the White House in 1998 to GAG’s Human Beings which debuted at the NYC Pride March in 2016. That meant that our visuals had to be strong and powerful.
![nyc gay pride march 2016 nyc gay pride march 2016](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/gay-pride-parade-nyc-2016-bow-and-arrow-robert-ullmann.jpg)
Because we are under a year old this Pride was our ‘debut’ as an organization. “Marching is a rite of passage for any activist group.
![nyc gay pride march 2016 nyc gay pride march 2016](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/G79EWM/new-york-gay-pride-parade-2016-G79EWM.jpg)
“Creating Voices4’s visual narrative for the NYC Pride March was the most important project I’ve ever worked on,” said Voices4’s Head of Visuals, Jesse Hepworth.
![nyc gay pride march 2016 nyc gay pride march 2016](https://townsquare.media/site/838/files/2016/06/NYC-Pride-.jpg)
In these photos taken by Danny Virga – which can be seen here first, exclusively on Gay Times – the striking display certainly got the message across. They also held signs highlighting the injustice queer people still face all over the world – especially in countries where being LGBTQ is punishable. Their theme was to march for the queer people who cannot, carrying 10 coffins to represent lives taken as a result of crimes against LGBTQ people. Having formed less than a year ago, LGBTQ activist group Voices4 wanted to send a powerful message for their debut march at New York City Pride. While Pride parades around the world rightfully include celebrations of how far we’ve come as a community, it should also serve to shine a spotlight on the everyday injustices, inequality and discrimination LGBTQ people still face.