We’d call the parents, and some of them just hung up on us. After they died, we had to decide what to do with the bodies. Doctors were covered from head to toe like “I’m thinking of all of the friends I lost in the ’80s,” said John Burris, 74, as he watched the march. Mourning is a theme of this year’s parade, but it is not a new one for the event.
“It’s a double dose of homophobia and Islamophobia, and it’s got to “People don’t understand what we’re facing as a community,” said Mr. Ramdass explained that outside of the parade, gay Muslims face extraordinary bigotry. Diaz, who is straight, said her husband felt some misgivings about her marching because of safety concerns. We need to wake up, there is homophobia in our own community,” she said. “This is a conversation we have to have internally as Muslims. Observing Ramandan, she was fasting and was parched on the hot parade route.īut she was determined nonetheless to march. The march was especially profound for Barza Diaz, 28, because it was taking place during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramdass marched with representatives from Muslims for Progressive Values, a group that advocates for the traditional Islamic values of social justice Proudly waving a rainbow banner above his head, Mr.
