Planned Parenthood kicks off NYC Pride march just days after Roe reverses Wade

Pro-choice group Planned Parenthood took center stage at Sunday’s Pride Parade – starting the colorful cavalcade down Fifth Avenue two days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

New Yorkers who spoke to the Post said they were happy to see the organization’s pink banners and signs alongside the usual celebratory fare of rainbow flags celebrating gay pride.

« I think our right to marriage is on the same chopping block, » 28-year-old teacher Mike McGowan, who is gay, said as he watched his first NYC Pride parade in Manhattan’s West Village.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas – in his view concurring with Friday’s decision striking down the federal abortion law – called on the nation’s highest court to also review and potentially overturn rulings that protect marriage homosexuality and access to birth control.

In terms of abortion rights, McGowan said of the Planned Parenthood marchers, “These voices are needed.

« The fact that they’re leading the march right now in New York really means how important Planned Parenthood is in states where women don’t have access to abortion, » he said.

Sunday’s parade went off without a hitch or violence from anti-gay groups.

NYPD cops lined the parade route at nearly every intersection, preventing spectators from crossing or entering it.

Other Pride-goers who spoke to The Post said the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade had inspired them to attend the event to support the LGBT community, even though the two issues aren’t exactly the same.

« That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come today, » Karissa Doering, 39, who is straight, told the Post of her decision to fly to Manhattan from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for her NYC premiere. Pride March.

Finance intern Katilin Farnan, 21, said she thought it was « really cool » to see the pro-choice group front and center.

« They’ve always been supportive of us, even though women haven’t always been supportive of the LGBTQ community, » she said.

Jacob Sheldon, a 25-year-old heterosexual, said he attended a pro-choice rally on Friday as well as Pride festivities on Sunday.

« There are a lot of crossovers among the supporters. » Sheldon said.