9 colorful photos of New York City's LGBTQ Pride March celebrating marriage equality

Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images

Obviously, the rainbow flag is a huge deal at the LGBTQ Pride March — and it's sometimes merged with other flags, like the US flag. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)

The LGBTQ Pride March was originally a much grimmer affair — commemorating the Stonewall Riots in which LGBTQ New Yorkers rose up after decades of police harassment at gay- and transgender-friendly bars. But as Americans have become more accepting of LGBTQ rights, the marches have turned more into celebrations with all sorts of characters. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)

The 2015 celebrations in New York City were preceded by a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that struck down all states' same-sex marriage bans, effectively bringing marriage equality to all 50 states. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)

Pride marches are often mischaracterized as explicit events filled with scantily clad men. And while there's certainly some of that, there's also some everyday families and people simply celebrating equal rights for LGBTQ Americans. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Sometimes celebrities, such as actor Ian McKellen, show up at LGBTQ Pride Marches. (Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

Politicians, such as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, also make appearances to show their support for LGBTQ rights — and get some publicity. (Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

There are some people who enjoy showing off their bodies. But this actually serves a really important symbolic purpose at the LGBTQ Pride March: these attendants want to show the world that they're doing no harm to anyone by freely expressing their sexuality — and, subsequently, their sexual orientation. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Overall, the celebrations really are about people showing off their pride — and building support for LGBTQ people. Even though marriage equality is now the law of the land, several big issues remain for LGBTQ Americans: workplace discrimination, misconceptions about transgender people, LGBTQ youth homelessness, the incarceration of LGBTQ people, the US military's ban on transgender soldiers, hate crimes, and health issues like HIV/AIDS and Syphilis, among various other disparities. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)

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