1,500 Rally for Mark Carson in New York City’s Gay Mecca

It was the city's largest LGBT rights rally in years.

By Jamilah King May 21, 2013

It was New York City’s largest LGBT rally in years, according to organizers. On Monday at least 1,500 people showed up to honor the life of Mark Carson and make a stand against the hate that led to his death. Carson was an openly gay 32-year-old black man who was shot and killed over the weekend in what authorities are investigating as an anti-gay hate crime.

The randomness of Carson’s death has shocked the city’s LGBT community. "Mark is not going to die in vain. We are not going to get beat up in vain," one rally participant told Mother Jones. "Gay rights, we’re still fighting for them, and the fight is not over. We need to protect each other."