Gay Freedom Para (San Francis, 1978) - Bay Area Televisn Archive

Contents:

• EVERY SF PRI THEME SCE THE FIRST-EVER GAY FREEDOM DAY 1970
• A HISTORY OF GAY FREEDOM DAY, DYKE MARCH, AND TRANS MARCH
• GAY FREEDOM PARA (SAN FRANCIS, 1978)
• 1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO
• 1980 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO
• 1989 SAN FRANCIS LBIAN AND GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO

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

Para officials believed the turnout was a rult of the attentn that Ana Bryant was gettg for her anti-gay csa Florida and the murr of a gay cy garner by four youths the prr week. Willie Brown urged everyone to register to vote, so they uld oppose a statewi iative sponsored by Fullerton Republin Assemblyman John Briggs that would perm public school districts to fire homosexuals. A lot of progrs has been ma toward this goal the last 50 years, cludg a Supreme Court lg jt two weeks ago that gay employe were protected om job discrimatn unr the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but the fight is far om over.

Thirty people marched down Polk street as part of the San Francis Gay Liberatn March, acrdg to Mark Sawch om the GLBT Historil Society Mm San forward several s later, crowds have grown om thoands to more than a ln participants paradg down Market Street every year --- at least until the COVID-19 panmic.

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

And went back to 1970, was a two day event that June Here's how to watch 2023 San Francis Pri Para on ABC7Sawch says there was a piic "gay-" gatherg Goln Gate Park's Speedway found TONS of footage our ABC7 News archive datg back to the 1972 para when was lled Christopher Street Wt. Sawch says the tle referenc the street New York Cy's Greenwich Village neighborhood where Stonewall and other tablishments tered to LGBTQ the para's ceptn 51 years ago, the para has gone through several name Origal rabow flag returns home to SF, displayed at GLBT Historil Society1973 -1980: Gay Freedom Day1981 - 1994: Internatnal Lbian & Gay Freedom Day Para1995 - 2013: San Francis Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr Pri Celebratn2014- to prent: San Francis Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr Pri Para and CelebratnMORE: San Francis Internatnal Airport opens termal honorg Harvey MilkOf urse, the para is now simply referred to as "San Francis Pri.

"WATCH: LOOKBACK: What gay life was like San Francis 1976Throughout the years, ntgents the para took a stance for eedom of speech, fightg for equal rights and more fundg for AIDS rearch. It was officially lled the Gay Freedom Day up until 1981 when beme known as the Internatnal Lbian and Gay Freedom Day Para, and then changg aga 1995 to the San Francis Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr Pri Celebratn.

The thg we ll the Gay Pri Para was, once upon a time, lled the Gay Freedom Day Para — a better name, if you ask , bee at this pot gay folks are pretty proud enough, but not always pletely ee.

GAY FREEDOM PARA (SAN FRANCIS, 1978)

The gural event San Francis was a small 20- to 30-person march of "hair faeri" followed by a "gay-" Goln Gate Park the summer of 1970, memoratg the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Rts. This all of urse began wh an uprisg of homos, drag queens, and trans people who fought back agast a police raid at the Stonewall Inn New York's Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969.

It was ially dubbed the Christopher Street Wt para, featured a poster wh a upraised fist and the words "Gay Pri, " and keepg wh San Francis's place hippie history, was way more nu and kooky than the equivalent event New York. The Civic Center celebratn that we all know began 1982, and the annual event was known as the Gay Freedom Day celebratn, followed by Internatnal Lbian and Gay Freedom Day, and only beme officially known as Pri, or the San Francis Lbian Gay Bisexual Transgenr Pri Celebratn, 1995. Dyke March began 1993 and still bears some more of the prott nature and grassroots-y-ns of the origal Gay Freedom Day events, wh handma signs, light nudy, no real floats, and most people on foot.

Also featur terviews wh State Senator Milton Marks who reflects on the Briggs iative and creasg opposn to Gay rights and lawyer Carol Ruth Silver, who stat that: "People here are celebratg. Groups and figur featured clu Harvey Milk, Gay Amerin Indians, Gay Disabili Rights, Ana Bryant, Briggs Iniative, Gay Teachers, Gay Veterans, California NOW, and others.

1978 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO

CONTINGENTS/PARTICIPANTSGay VetsGay Amerin IndiansBay Area Coaln Agast the Briggs AmendmentSupervisor Harvey Milkgay teachersanti-Ana Bryant ntgent ("Ana Bryant: Emprs of the Bigots")tersectnal ntgents -- agast racism, for workers'/workg class rights"Separatn of Church om State"Women Uned to Defeat BriggsOlivia RerdsDeaf Gays of San FrancisSEIU/Department Store Employe Unn Lol 1100Gays for LSDL. Groups and figur clu: Gay Youth Communy Coaln, Harvey Milk Gay Democratic Club, Gay Fathers, Bisexual Women's Support Group, Berkeley Gay Men's Health Collective, Tom Ammiano, Bulldog Baths, and the Harold T.

1980 GAY FREEDOM DAY PARA VIO

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.

—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. 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.

1989 SAN FRANCIS LBIAN AND 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. ”, the Para Commtee statement of purpose the published program tabloid distributed at the 1975 Gay Freedom Day Para; Ephemera Collectn, 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.