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    Sunday, May 12, 2024

    New York to erect monument for Orlando victims

    A heavily armed police officer stands in the street near the parade route of the New York City Pride Parade Sunday, June 26, 2016, in New York City. A year after New York City's storied gay pride parade celebrated a high point with the legalization of gay marriage nationwide, the atmosphere this year couldn't be more different. Parades in New York and other major cities Sunday will feature increased security, anti-violence messages and tributes to those killed in this month's massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

    NEW YORK (AP) —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York will honor the 49 people killed in a shooting at a gay bar in Florida with a monument.

    Cuomo announced the LGBT Memorial Commission on Sunday, before the start of the annual gay pride parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

    The 10-member commission will come up with recommendations on the design of the memorial and the specific location by year's end.

    Cuomo says the memorial will honor all victims of hate and intolerance.

    He also announced that the site around the Stonewall Inn would be designated as a state historic site. On Friday, President Barack Obama designated it as the first national monument to gay rights.

    A 1969 police raid on the bar was a major catalyst of the gay rights movement.

    Police were busy tightening the metal barricades to contain a crowd they say is expected to be bigger than usual this year. In addition to uniformed officers, police say a ramped up security force includes plainclothes officers mingling with observers.

    Parades in San Francisco and other cities Sunday will also see increased security. There will also be tributes to the victims of this month's massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida that left 49 people dead.

    Pre-parade activities included a handful of people walking down traffic-free Fifth Avenue holding banners with photos of those who died in Orlando.

    Last year, New York City's storied gay pride parade celebrated a high point with the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide. This year, the atmosphere surrounding the march is very different.

    Celebrations planned around such themes as supporting transgender people have quickly taken on new meanings.

    But organizers don't want to eliminate the exuberance of events rooted in declaring that gay people aren't afraid to be seen and heard.

    A vendor holds rainbow flags as he walks near Fifth Avenue before the New York City Pride Parade on Sunday, June 26, 2016, in New York City. A year after New York City's storied gay pride parade celebrated a high point with the legalization of gay marriage nationwide, the atmosphere this year couldn't be more different. Parades in New York and other major cities Sunday will feature increased security, anti-violence messages and tributes to those killed in this month's massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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