Last year, the crowd in New York was five million-strong. People came from across the US to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riotsWhen a large number of people behave in a violent and loud way in public and cause disruption. and the tradition they began: Pride.

On 28 June 1970, exactly one year after the uprising, the Gay Liberation FrontThe name of the group formed immediately after the Stonewall riots in 1969 to demand an end to the persecution of gay people by the police and by the public. Other movements elsewhere in the world subsequently took on the name Gay Liberation Front. organised the world's first Pride - the Christopher Street Day Parade. It was the beginning of a vital tradition for LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, celebrating queer lives and commemorating the dangerous work of protest.

But, this year, the streets will be empty. Covid 19, now surging back across the USA and Europe, has had an enormous impact on Pride celebrations, with hundreds of marches cancelled or postponed worldwide. In response, things are going online.

Tomorrow, 300 million people are expected to tune into Global Pride 2020.

Hosted by Todrick Hall, it will see performances streamed from across the planet for 24 hours. Its organisers aim to counteract the "devastating impact" the coronavirus has had on Pride organisations.

But for a tradition so centred on the political importance of joyfully and defiantly taking up space on the streets, can it be the same?

"It's more important than ever," says Cathy Renna of America's LGBTQ+ Task Force.

The pandemic has hit LGBTQ+ support networks hard. The text-message support service, Shout 85258, has reported 4,500 extra conversations with LGBTQ+ texters in the UK during lockdown - often young people "unable to express themselves fully at home".

Bringing Pride online will go some way to ensuring that a sense of connection is not lost. It may also prove more inclusive - those who live in repressive countries or remote locations will have the chance to take part and feel safe.

And the Black Lives Matter protests have given new urgency to Pride's roots in dissentTo hold or express opinions against a prevailing idea or policy, once used in England and Wales describe those who rejected the Anglican church.. Trans women of colour, such as Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia RiveraIn 2019, New York City announced that Johnson and Rivera will get a statue to recognise their contribution to the gay rights' movement. , were among the activists at the vanguard of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms, and they have suffered and died to a disproportionate degree.

Outrage at ongoing injustice has spilled onto the streets in the form of Black Trans Lives Matter protests. Global Pride is taking Black Lives Matter as its focus.

No - it's as important as ever. "No matter what, there is a need to connect," says Chris Frederick, former director of NYC Pride. Pride has always been an incredibly significant moment for LGBTQ+ people - a space in which to feel safe from prejudice and hatred, surrounded by community, and unified in diversity. That is no different this year although it will be taking place online, not on the streets.

Yes. Lockdown has had a disproportionate effect on the LGBTQ+ community. People have been cut off from support networks, more vulnerable than the majority to wider impacts of the pandemic - unemployment, eviction, and other consequences of inequality. The visibility and solidarity created by Pride, together with the refusal to tolerate injustice and oppression, is more needed than ever.