2026 NYC Pride Guide - Magazine - Page 5
LETTER FROM NYC PRIDE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
IM LYNDE
On behalf of the entire NYC Pride team, I am thrilled and grateful to welcome you to NYC Pride - the world’s oldest, biggest,
most iconic LGBTQIA+ celebration.
I joined NYC Pride in late 2025 after spending nearly 25 years in nonprofit organizations, dedicated to HIV/AIDS healthcare,
pro bono legal representation for queer asylum-seekers, and substance-use disorder treatment for low-income LGBTQIA+
populations. It is that work that led me to join this fight, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be in this fight with you.
It has been an incredible honor working with a small-but-mighty team of staff, board of directors, members, partners, and
volunteers, who come together in community to help ensure the world’s largest LGBTQIA+ demonstration marches on.
It has been a difficult year for our community, particularly our trans and non-binary siblings. Trans people are facing threats
to their freedoms, healthcare, and education. They are forced to receive IDs that do not reflect who they are. They are seeing
their history disappear from public spaces. And they continue to be targeted by hateful legislative attacks at every level of
government.
At the same time, we know that Pride would not be what it is today without the contributions of Marsha and other trans and
non-binary people of color. It was in that spirit that we selected NYC Pride’s 2026 theme, “For All of Us”.
Referencing the quote attributed to Marsha P. Johnson – “There’s no pride for some of us without liberation for all of us” –
the theme recalls our history in protest. It affirms that our trans and non-binary siblings were at the frontlines of that history.
It centers their fight in the broader fight for LGBTQIA+ liberation.
The theme is also an invitation to our LGBTQIA+ community from near and far, particularly in places that have cancelled or
postponed Pride and other LGBTQ+ events and programs. No matter who you are or where you come from, there is a community for you at NYC Pride, ready to celebrate you exactly as you are.
Join us in the birthplace of Pride as we come together in a powerful show of LGBTQIA+ spirit and resilience.
Because together, we can pave the way for a future with LGBTQIA+ equality - for all of us.
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