And 4 million people took to the streets of New York City Sunday in the largest LGBTQ pride celebration in history. The demonstration was just one of many taking place across the country and the world this weekend. In some cities, however, events were banned and efforts to mark the occasion were harshly suppressed. In Istanbul, Turkey, clashes broke out between police and members of the LGBTQ community after the governor banned a planned annual march for the fifth running year.

Back in New York City, there were two marches to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising that sparked the modern-day LGBTQ movement. Hundreds of thousands marched down Fifth Avenue for the WorldPride parade. And in Sheridan Square, at the very site where gay and trans people clashed with police on the early morning of June 28, 1969, tens of thousands more gathered for the anti-corporate, anti-police Queer Liberation March. This is longtime activist and journalist Ann Northrop, host of the Free Speech TV show “Gay USA.”

Ann Northrop: “The heritage of Pride main parade has evolved into a corporate party, and we just think that’s ridiculous and insulting and demeaning and disempowering. So we got together to bring the community back into the streets.”

We’ll have more voices from the Queer Liberation March later in the broadcast.