Photo composite by Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As the marchers began to line up at Hart Boulevard and Forest Avenue, Carol Bullock could feel her heart racing. A series of thoughts ran through her head. The most important of which was: “Is this really going to happen?”
It was St. Patrick’s Day 2024. Bullock could see people — parents with babies in strollers, generations of families walking together, teens gathering with their friends, all dressed in their brightest greens — beginning to line the parade route. Irish step dancers were practicing their routines. High school marching bands, many of whom had been waiting to take part in this event for several years, were gearing up for their performances.
“It was such a ball of emotion; I was so happy that I thought of Jim Smith [community leader dubbed ‘The Father of Gay Pride,’ who died in 2020],” said Bullock, executive director of the Pride Center of Staten Island. “I got teary eyed. And then I’m walking along and I see a trans individual on the sidelines who was balling hysterically with tears of joy. It was almost like fireworks of emotions. I can’t really describe it. And honestly, I was just really proud to be able to walk with our banner.”
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