A History Of Gay Freedom Day, Dyke March, And Trans March: SFist

Contents:

• 1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO
• GAY FREEDOM DAY - MAN WH SHIRTLS CHILD ON SHOULRS
• 1977 AND 1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO
• A HISTORY OF GAY FREEDOM DAY, DYKE MARCH, AND TRANS MARCH
• EVERY SF PRI THEME SCE THE FIRST-EVER GAY FREEDOM DAY 1970
• 1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY

1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO

He was missned to create a flag by another gay in, polician Harvey Milk, for San Francis’s annual pri cisn to enlist Baker proved serendipo, as the ia of a flag to reprent the gay and lbian muny had occurred to him two years earlier.

As Baker told the Mm of Morn Art durg a 2015 terview, he had been spired by the celebratns markg Ameri’s bicentennial 1976, notg that the nstant display of stars and strip ma him realize the cultural need for a siar rallyg sign for the gay muny. And as a stgglg drag performer who was acctomed to creatg his own garments, he was well-equipped to sew the soon-to-be inic the time, the most monly ed image for the burgeong gay rights movement was the pk triangle, a symbol ed by the Nazis to intify homosexuals. At the top was hot pk, which reprented sex, red for life, orange for healg, yellow signifyg sunlight, green for nature, turquoise to reprent art, digo for harmony, and fally vlet at the bottom for the help of close to 30 volunteers workg the attic of the Gay Communy Center San Francis, Baker was able to nstct the first draft of the now world-renowned rabow flag.

It was first showsed at San Francis’s Gay Freedom Day Para on June 25, the sign was unveiled, participants of the para proudly waved the new symbol solidary. His legacy liv on the six-lored flag that fli proudly every Gay Pri month, regnizg the liv, and lov, of LGBT people worldwi.

GAY FREEDOM DAY - MAN WH SHIRTLS CHILD ON SHOULRS

Part of the crowd at the Civic Center celebratn at the end of the 1977 San Francis Gay Freedom Day Para; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historil Society. On June 27, 1970, a ty band of hippi and “hair fairi” staged San Francis’s first Pri celebratn: a march on Polk Street, followed on the 28th by a “gay-” Goln Gate Park.

They were markg the first anniversary of the Stonewall Rts, when queers fought back agast a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar New York Cy. —Leo Lrence scribg the arrival of equtrian officers om the San Francis Police Department at the June 28 Gay-In that attracted some 200 people to Speedway Meadows Goln Gate Park. “Christopher Street Liberatn Day Gay-In, ” offset flyer, 1970; Charl Thorpe Papers (1987-02), GLBT Historil Society.

Inially referred to as the Gay Liberatn March, then as Christopher Street Wt, then as Gay Freedom Day, the celebratn ployed both ivoly and prott hop of iatg a cultural shift how society viewed LGBTQ people. View om the stage ont of San Francis Cy Hall, Gay Freedom Day Para, 1978; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historil Society.

1977 AND 1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO

No formal statement was issued that first year, but one activist ma clear the purpose of the “betiful and peaceful” event: In the face of opprsn, “homophil gathered pri their inty.

“What Gay Para ’73 Means, ” photopy of a display advertisement om an unintified newspaper; Steve Gsburg Papers, GLBT Historil Society.

”, the Para Commtee statement of purpose the published program tabloid distributed at the 1975 Gay Freedom Day Para; Ephemera Collectn, GLBT Historil Society.

A HISTORY OF GAY FREEDOM DAY, DYKE MARCH, AND TRANS MARCH

The anizers’ terpretatns of how to monstrate those goals by guidg an ever-growg Gay Freedom Day Para and Ftival would vary greatly. “Proposed Gay Freedom Day Commtee Statement, ” photopy of typcript draft on illtrated letterhead, May 1978; Ephemera Collectn, GLBT Historil Society.

Gay Freedom Day Commtee, Gay Freedom Day Para, 1978; photograph by Elae Gay Jarvis, Elae Gay Jarvis Papers (2018-90), GLBT Historil Society. “A Statement by the Para Commtee: Brothers and Sisters, ” published the program booklet distributed at the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Para; Ephemera Collectn, GLBT Historil Society. Lbian movement pneer Del Mart (1921–2008) ed the x rds to give her speech om the stage at San Francis Cy Hall at the end of the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Para.

EVERY SF PRI THEME SCE THE FIRST-EVER GAY FREEDOM DAY 1970

Del Mart servg as emcee at the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Para wh Harvey Milk seated at left; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historil Society. “Gay Para History, ” a letter to the edor by Robert Humphri published the Bay Area Reporter, June 19, 1980; Perdils Collectn, GLBT Historil Society. The para is the Gay muny for all the world to see, and if don’t like what se, n damn well look the other way, bee we are betiful, we are real, and we are not gog away!

1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY

Robert Humphri (1934–2002) sums up the value and importance of the Gay Freedom Day Para 10 years after was lnched. The 1973 Gay Freedom Day Para on Polk Street; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historil Society. Wh an timated 42, 000 people participatg the 1973 Gay Freedom Day Para as marchers or spectators, planng and rryg out the event required signifint work.

Safety monor holdg a walkie-talkie at the 1973 Gay Freedom Day Para; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historil Society. —Gerald Hansen, “Color, Joy San Francis, ” The Advote (July 18, 1973)In 1975, an timated 82, 000 people participated the Gay Freedom Day Para.

Organizers distributed photopi of the typed, llaged and hand-drawn documents seen here to gui marchers and sponsors of a 1975 lumn the Bay Area Reporter, muny lear and mera-store owner Harvey Milk (1930–1978) poted to two challeng for Gay Freedom Day anizers: promotg the para through the media and obtag municipal fundg. By the time Milk beme California’s first openly gay elected official as a member of the San Francis Board of Supervisors 1978, mastream media were creasgly providg advance verage of the event—and that same year, the Para Commtee obtaed s first grant om the cy.