The following photographs and feature are by Jeanette Spicer, a Queens-based artist and longtime participant in the Dyke March. NYC Tourism worked with Spicer to gain an insider's perspective on the annual event.
An NYC tradition since 1993, the Dyke March is a grass-roots, self-organized protest that takes place every June. The march focuses on LGBTQ+ issues while highlighting lesbian visibility; each year also calls attention to a timely social cause. From my first time attending, I’ve felt a rush from being in a crowd of people specifically there to celebrate dyke experiences and identity.
Over the years, I’ve seen how the marshals hold hands at the intersections with traffic lights, using their bodies as barricades to block off traffic. I’ve heard marshals behind me kindly communicate that those too close to the drumline have to “keep moving!” I've witnessed Dyke March organizers informing folks about what was taking place and front line marshals leading the way with a banner that spans the width of Fifth Avenue and always reads “Annual NYC Dyke March.”
After nearly 10 years as an attendee, I wanted to know more about the inner workings of organizing such an incredible event. I found myself deeply interested in the history of the Dyke March. So I reached out to some of the people involved, who were kind enough to share their stories.
Stacy Kovacs
What continues to interest you about the Dyke March?
Stacy Kovacs, founder of Fogo Azul: The Dyke March holds a special place in my heart. I have been attending it since I moved to NYC in 2005. As an attendee, I find strength in numbers of like-minded individuals to keep on going in life. The Dyke March is a historical protest that started in 1993 to bring visibility to gay women. [Even] with so many political changes since then, [including] a lot of positive ones for the queer community, we still have a long way to go.
One of my favorite parts of the march is that when it starts, it’s about one block long. About 30 minutes later, when you look backward, it stretches for five or six blocks and keeps growing. Fogo Azul [the marching band Kovacs started in 2016] provides the heartbeat. We drum for four hours without stopping, end in Washington Square Park and continue to drum there. We have a lot of exposure at the Dyke March, and we love being there to support.
How does one get involved as a drummer if they are interested?
SK: Fogo Azul prides itself on taking women, nonbinary folks and transgender people into our ranks, regardless of drumming or musical experience. We teach everyone to drum and to be a contributing member to our organization and community. If someone wants to check us out, they can sign up on the website, and our new member team will give them the details.
Claire Fleury
What drew you to attending the Dyke March in NYC?
Claire Fleury, Fogo Azul conductor: I’m from Amsterdam and was visiting a friend in 1994. She invited me and a few other friends. I had never heard of it but it sounded cool!
Claire Fleury
How did you get involved as a drummer?
CF: One of the reasons I joined the drum band is so I could be in the Dyke March with a function. I get overwhelmed when I’m in large crowds without anything to do. In the band I am one of the conductors and I also play a drum called a repinique. I think we bring some energy for people to ride on. It’s hot, it’s long, you might as well dance. Last year, activist Qween Jean danced with us the entire march!
Lauren Suiter
How long have you been involved with the Dyke March?
Lauren Suiter, marshal: I marshaled for the first time in 2021 and was a head marshal in 2022. I joined the planning committee in spring 2023. Since my partner and I moved into a van and started traveling full-time, it has been a really great way to stay connected to the queer community in NYC. The feeling of marching down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan with tens of thousands of dykes is unmatched.
How do you and the organization approach organizing itself? How many folks are involved?
LS: The planning committee is nonhierarchical. We like to call ourselves a bunch of dykes coming together to make it all happen. We have about 75 people on the committee, but a consistent group of probably 20 to 30 regularly attends meetings.
What are some NYC spots where folks continue the celebration after the march?
LS: Often people hang out in Washington Square Park after the march is over. The Dyke March hosts an official after-party in conjunction with a local queer party organizer or club. This year it was at House of Yes, which has a legacy as a safe space for queers in NYC.
Christian Molieri
What’s a memorable moment at the Dyke March you’ve had?
Christian Molieri, accessibility committee member: Twenty years, ago I came up to NYC with a couple of friends to go to the Dyke March and was very butch presenting, just pre-transition. I was welcomed with warmth and joy, and I felt seen immediately. That is a privilege and an honor, and I attempt to move with the recognition and the ways in which I can extend that to other individuals who are coming out for their first time to the march.
Why do you remain involved?
CM: I remain involved with the Dyke March community, planning and as an organizer because I truly believe in the necessity of us having the space. One of the things that keeps me there is my comrades and friends and the community. I believe in the history and upon whose shoulders we stand.
Carli Rhoades
What keeps you coming back to marshal?
Carli Rhoades, former committee member: I love marshaling. I feel so honored to be trusted by so many members of our community to keep them safe while they revel in this space. The Dyke March is a space that represents so much of what Pride means to me: joy, remembrance, honor and fighting for the future. It feels really good, it’s so recharging. To see so many people is so powerful.
Can you recall a memorable moment that you’d like to share?
CR: Too many to count! My favorite moments as a side marshal blocking cross traffic are when friends in the march pass by and come over for a hug. It’s so joyous! I get to see a stream of powerful dykes while the march passes, and nothing is better than that. One year my girlfriend at the time was marching with friends while I marshaled, and she would come over for a kiss each time they passed, and it was such a delight for us and everyone around us. It felt so powerful and a symbol of the very basic thing that brings us all together—love, and the right to love in public.
The Dyke March takes place each year on the last Saturday of June. Click here if you are interested in getting involved.
Jeanette Spicer makes photographs, creates performative videos and works with mixed media. Her work is about the experience of what it means to occupy a sexualized, objectified and underrepresented personhood.
