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Start of the Gay Rights Movement
"On June 28, 1969, a riot broke out at the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in downtown Manhattan. Police had been known to raid the club from time to time, but on that night, the patrons fought back. A protest broke out, with police and community members clashing through the night, and for the rest of the week"(Evolution). By standing up to the police the homosexual community made a statement that they should be treated the same as people who are heterosexual. This started the gay rights movement. -
First Gay Pride Parade
"On November 2, 1969, Craig Rodwell, his partner Fred Sargeant, Ellen Broidy, and Linda Rhodes proposed the first gay pride parade to be held in New York City" (The Evolution). This parade was the first big statement by the gay rights movement. Pride parades continue today, even though gay lifestyles are more accepted, that are focused on expanding gay rights such as: gay marrages and adoptions by gay parents. -
Christopher Street Liberation Day March
"In 1970, the first gay pride event, called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, was organized to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. People gathered all over the city, marching on Sixth Avenue from Greenwich Village to Central Park. Soon, commemorative marches in other cities, like Los Angeles, starting to spring up"(Evolution). -
March on Washington Square Park
"On Saturday, June 27, 1970, Chicago Gay Liberation organized a march from Washington Square Park to the Water Tower at the intersection of Michigan and Chicago Avenues, which was the route originally planned, and then many of the participants extemporaneously marched on to the Civic Center Plaza. The date was chosen because the Stonewall Events began on the last Saturday of June and because organizers wanted to reach the maximum number of Michigan Avenue shoppers"(Evolution). -
Primary Source from the 1972 March
P3: YouTube
This was a very big turning point because it was a big deal to be doing the pride parade and to be proud to be a homosexual. At this time many people were afraid of homosexuals and didn't know much about them. -
San Jose Pride Parade
P1: This is a very important picture from 1974, because it shows one of the very first Pride parades. These parades were a turning point for the gay rights movement. During this time, people did not like the thought of people dating individuals of the same sex and these parades were a way for the gay community to stand up and show they were not afraid to demand their rights. -
Harvey Milk Elected to Board of Supervisors
Harvey Milk was important because he was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors he passed a gay rights ordinance. This was a turning point as he was the start of the movement to legally protect the rights of gays, which gave many homosexuals hope similiar to the feeling they received from the Pride parades. -
Cultural Shift in Society towards acceptance of Gay Lifestyle.
In the 1980s there was a cultural shift in society caused by the gay rights movement and in part from the parades. More people changed their opinions and started to accept the lifestyles of gays, lesbians and transgenders. This was because more people were feeling empowered to come out and say they were homosexual and society started to accept that the idea that love is love and you can not change who you are attracted too. -
More than 1,800 joined the March
On the march of the 2008 Pride Parade over 1,800 people joined. This was a big surge in support for the gay rights movement. Having that many people participating and helping out in the parade which resulted in the biggest turnout ever was important for the movement as it showed an increase in acceptance of their lifestyle. This indicated a change in the way people thought about homosexuals and a willingness to support them by joining the march. -
Parade in New York
The 2011 gay rights parade was held just two days after the legalization of gay marriage in the state of New York. Because of the legalization of gay marriage in New York many people lines up and celebrated with a parade. This parade celebrated the major turning point that legalizing gay marriages was to the homosexual community as it proved beyond a doubt that their lifestyle was now accepted by the majority of people in the society. -
Gay Pride Parade Video
ref='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umN1FN47cZI' >youtube</a>
P2: 2013 New York Pride parade shows how all the people involved are not ashamed and are proud to be homosexual. -
Personal Experience
P4: "If was quite moving to hear the crowd roar as groups of church members and clergy walked past. It was even more moving to look at people in the eye and make a connection, trading a sense of recognition and appreciation. I’m sure not everyone was glad that we were there, but many people were"(My First). I believe that it was a important that members of established religions were participating in the pride parade because most religions are against homosexuality. -
Oakland's Parade
P5 "We just want to offer a more family-friendly, diverse celebration. Sort of an end-of-summer bookend to SF Pride." (Carlos Uribe). This shows how the pride parade has changed and evolved. It is no longer about looking crazy to draw attention to the movement and gay rights but now they want the parade to be family friendly and welcoming to all. It also shows how the parade is continuing to this day as a way for the gay community to define itself.
