New York City
Home of Stonewall 50

This year's special honor goes to New York City, which in June hosted the enormous worldwide WorldPride honoring the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, one of the early protests that sparked the gay liberation movement in America and beyond.

Not only did the city pull off this logistical feat--imagine arranging security, transportation, and accommodations for more than a million visitors--it made everyone feel welcome, no matter where they fell on the rainbow spectrum.

Everywhere you turned there were rainbow flags lining streets, flying from rooftops, and painted onto streets and sidewalks. Museums and cultural institutions across the boroughs staged special exhibits, shows, and concerts celebrating our history.

Madonna and Lady Gaga gave impromptu concerts at the Stonewall Inn, the bar where the riots took place in 1969, politicians took the streets to expound on equality, and the streets overflowed with colorfully clad visitors from across the globe. Produced by the venerable Heritage of Pride, it was a celebration truly matching the enormity of 50 years of LGBTQ+ progress.