Pride Month is wrapping up for 2023, and the day after the Drag March took over the East Village, the NYC Dyke March brought thousands to 5th Avenue between Bryant Park and Washington Square Park. A protest march that happens without corporate sponsors or heavy police presence, the theme for the 31st annual edition was “Not Your Fucking Body, Not Your Fucking Business. Dykes for Bodily Autonomy.”

Beloved Dyke March traditions like marshalls linking hands at intersections to protect marchers; the Batalá drum ensemble keeping spirits high and people dancing; the Queer Big Apple Corps stationed on the side of the route, performing renditions of pop songs; and a celebratory dip in the Washington Square Park fountain at the end of the march were all very much in effect for a day that was equal parts celebratory and in protest of recent legislation limiting people’s access to gender affirming health care. See pictures (some are NSFW) by Amanda Hatfield below.