New York City Fire Department couple get engaged during Pride parade
Two emergency medical technicians for the New York City Fire Department celebrated more than just the LGBT community at Sunday’s (June 26) New York Pride march, as they got engaged.
Julianna Arroyo proposed to her girlfriend Erika Marrero as the parade passed – to roars of support from spectators.
Arroyo explained to Pix 11 why it was this Pride parade that made her want to propose: “This parade is monumental for us because of the Orlando shooting.”
!It hit really close to home. We wanted to walk in the parade in honor of the 49 victims. At the same time, I wanted to give Erika something positive to remember from the parade,” she continued.
A video of the engagement was shared on the FDNY’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
[fbvideo link=”https://www.facebook.com/FDNY/videos/10154200053705729/” width=”500″ height=”400″ onlyvideo=”1″]
Other tributes to the 49 victims of the Orlando shooting included a ghostly group shrouded in white who walked the parade carrying the names and photographs of the massacre victims.
Spectator John Zolanowski, who attended the parade with his wife and four children, called the tribute the most touching moment of the day.
“This is all about freedom for me,” he said. “This is an exciting day because the gay community can have a major impact on all of our freedoms.”
He added: “[The parade] is all about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s the perfect phrase to describe what today means.”
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