It amazes me, each year, how many gay boys I know say they had no idea there was a separate Dyke March. And yet there we are on Saturday, just hours before the lavender line gets painted for Sunday’s main-event Pride March, taking that same route by storm! This year seemed a bit bigger than recent years, with thousands and thousands of fierce dykes—teens and seniors and daughters and mothers, some quiet, others chanting (”ask us if we wanna fuck! don’t fuck with us!” was our favorite this year) all making our way downtown from Bryant Park. Just like last year, the skies opened up and poured buckets onto us just as we passed the Flatiron Building. But the ladies weren’t deterred, and as soon as the shower passed and the sun came back, the topless, joyous drumming and frolicking went on as usual in the beautiful new Washington Square Park. The permit-free march for civil rights—not a parade!—is a beautiful, feminist, en-masse demand for equal rights, and a definite highlight of the weekend. Check out our photos.