“Once upon a time,” reads David Puck’s open book costume, “there was a conspiracy against drag artists.”
That time is now, but it wasn’t that long ago that it was considered acceptable enough that Rudy Giuliani appeared in public in full drag and embraced a future president. The annual Drag March took place on the Friday night before the Pride March as it has since 1994, drawing over 3,000 participants to Tompkins Square Park.
The atmosphere on June 23 was ebullient, with an abundance of creativity and pride lighting up the faces of pretty much everyone there.
Veterans and first timers mingled, posed and embraced while the multitude of photographers tried to capture every look before the marchers took off for Stonewall behind the brand new “Drag March” banner created by Machine Dazzle. According to the organizers, the event “provides a platform for self-expression and solidarity while confronting societal challenges such as homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny.”
