Dromm: Queens Pride Focuses on Marriage Equality

From New York Daily News by Clare Trapasso:
Organizers of this weekend's Queens gay pride parade are expecting the event's largest turnout yet as the push for a same-sex marriage bill appears to be gaining steam. Participants are hoping to change the minds of three state senators in the borough who are opposed to legalizing gay marriage in New York.
"Most of the people who are going to be coming to the parade are going to be focusing on marriage equality," said parade co-founder Daniel Dromm.
The 17th annual Queens Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade will kick off at noon Sunday at 37th Ave. and 89th St. in Jackson Heights. Dromm expects 40,000 attendees - about 10,000 more than last year. Organizers hope a big turnout will pressure state Sens. George Onorato (D-Astoria), Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) into supporting a same-sex marriage bill. "The senators need to realize that lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual people are their friends, their neighbors," Dromm said. "We are, in fact, everywhere."

From Jackson Heights Times by Jeremy Walsh:
One could say Queens Pride runs right through Jackson Heights and means both the spirit of the borough and the popular gay parade. The sentiment is even truer this year as the gay, lesbian and transgender community is abuzz about the possibility of New York legalizing same−sex marriage. This year’s theme for Sunday’s event is “Your Rights, Our Rights, Human Rights,” said Daniel Dromm, parade founder and organizer.
“It states that everybody has a stake in LGBT rights, and I think for that reason, it’s really appropriate this year,” Dromm said.
“This has become very much a tradition in Jackson Heights, and it’s really accepted by people who live there,” he said. “It’s really a family parade."