Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at Brooklyn Pride Parade

June 13, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: It is an honor to be here. And you know what makes me especially happy – is I am celebrating the first lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray.

[Applause]

Mayor: Our scarf and shirt match – we worked on that quite a bit, as you can see. I want to congratulate – first of all, thank you, everyone – just by being here, you’re sending a powerful message of a city for everyone, a city that respects everyone.

[Applause]

Mayor: And let’s congratulate the Grand Marshal Farid Ali Lancheros and George Constantinou. Let’s thank them for being the Grand Marshals.

[Applause]

Mayor: And if you know them, they run Bogota restaurant – Dante de Blasio’s favorite restaurant.

[Laughter]

Mayor: Okay, that was some product placement, but it’s the truth, okay? Fourteen years they’ve been a part of this community. They’ve done amazing things for this community through Bogota and they believe in using that place to hire people from the community. They believe in our paid sick leave law.

[Applause]

Mayor: [inaudible] and I want congratulate the other grand marshal, Brooke Guinan.

[Applause]

Mayor: We want to thank Brooke for serving this city as a firefighter – New York City’s first openly transgender firefighter. We honor [inaudible].

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: An outspoken advocate for the community, we thank you, Brooke. And we have so many great people – I’m just going to mention very quickly, but there’s a lot of great people – there’s a lot of great people here – our chair of the Human Rights Commission from this neighborhood, Carmelyn Malalis. Thank you.

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: Our commissioner for veterans affairs, Brigadier General Loree Sutton.

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: We thank everyone who makes Pride happen. Let’s thank all the organizers of Pride for what they do every year.

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: And all the leaders who are a part of this – and it says a lot that so many leaders believe in pride and come out to celebrate with the community – Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Public Advocate Tish James, Borough President Eric Adams, Councilmember Carlos Menchaca, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, D.A. Ken Thompson, Kings County Democrat Chair Frank Seddio – everybody is here because it is the place to be!

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: Now, let me say something quick – just a little serious moment here amidst the revelry. We’ve come a long way. I remember this parade when it was much smaller. A lot of people would not attend. And it says something that it has grown and become a parade that everyone joins in. That says something about how this city has moved forward. Our nation is moving forward. The reality is that people of this nation demanded marriage equality and that is why it’s happening [inaudible].

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: And I – I have to tell you, few things should make us more proud and more convinced of the possibilities of progressive change more than the last ten years, where state after state, city after city, people have embraced equality. They said it couldn’t be done, but it has happened in the United States of America, and we should be proud of our nation.

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: There’s just one problem. Well, I’m not going say the Supreme Court, because we’re going to give them a chance to do the right thing. They really better do the right thing – these people are demanding of it. But there is just one problem – one country has outdone us with their absolute coolness – the Republic of Ireland with their [inaudible].

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: The people of Ireland, the people are the first nation anywhere in the world to hold a referendum – and by overwhelming majority, vote for marriage equality. Let’s celebrate that right now.

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: Now, brothers and sisters, this is work that continues. It’s work that continues, but we have so much to energize us and inspire us. We will keep – we will keep reaching people who need that helping hand – our brothers and sisters with HIV and AIDS. We finally got the rent-cap so everyone can live in affordable housing in dignity.

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: We have launched the largest HIV testing initiative in the city’s history. We can [inaudible] more –

[Applause]

[Cheers]

Mayor: – because everyone belongs in this city, everyone is respected, and this is one New York for everyone. Thank you. Happy [inaudible]!