Gay Pride parade protest | Limited Edition of 10

Black and White Protest Scene with LGBTQ+ Activists

This image is New York City, full volume. Midday sun, signs raised high, voices even higher. I was standing on the corner of 31st and Broadway, camera ready but not quite prepared for the sheer visual overload—Dunkin’ signs and protest banners, rainbow flags and biting slogans, all clashing in one incredible burst of civic electricity.

This was part of a Pride Parade, but also something more. A protest within a celebration. A demand folded into a march. The group—Rise and Resist—wasn’t just marching for visibility. They were naming names, calling out policies, and making damn sure their messages couldn’t be ignored.

The crowd held up placards: LGBTQ+ Rights Are Human Rights, Stand With Diversity, and some that didn’t hold back in the slightest—targeting political figures with raw, pointed commentary. What struck me most was the range of people: kids in sneakers, seniors with rainbow flags, folks on scooters, people who’d clearly been protesting for decades, and those who might’ve just joined in that day.

This isn’t a passive photograph. It’s a freeze-frame of noise, colour (though stripped to black and white here), and raw civic spirit. The kind of image that pulls you into the street, mid-chant, and asks you to listen.

If you’re someone who collects artwork with purpose—something that speaks, not whispers—this belongs on your wall. It doesn’t just decorate a room; it starts conversations. It stands for something.

Captured exactly as it happened—real light, real people, real stakes. This photo is part of my Protest Photography Collection, where voices are elevated not through a loudspeaker but through composition, timing, and unfiltered truth. 

© Dan Kosmayer, 2017