How Activists Organized the First Gay Pri Paras | HISTORY

gay pride parade 50th anniversary

Ellen Broidy, an anizer of the first gay pri march, says she's optimistic the revolutn she's been fightg for sce 1970 "might jt e to beg now."

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HOW ACTIVISTS ORGANIZED THE FIRST GAY PRI PARAS

Five s ago, thoands of gay and transgenr activists marched om New York Cy's Stonewall Inn to Central Park on the last Sunday of June. Five s after people first parad the streets to shout out that they were proud to be gay, majori of even doctrally nservative relig groups support nondiscrimatn protectns for LGBTQ people, and many say they know someone who is gay, although fewer say they know someone who is and visibily, however, have gone only so far. Although the cy nceled this year's official NYC Pri march bee of the ronavis panmic, LGBTQ activists wh the Reclaim Pri Coaln plan to stage an unlicensed, -person prott march lled the Queer Liberatn March for Black Liv and Agast Police Btaly, ensurg that on the 50th anniversary the streets where gay pri was born will be filled.

Herage of Pri, the nonprof that produc the official NYC Pri march, and other pri anizatns around the world will host star-studd livtreamg events, cludg a rally, performanc and a virtual a 2011 oral history project by SAGE, an advocy group for olr LGBTQ people, Jerry Hoose — a foundg member of the radil queer rights group Gay Liberatn Front who participated the Stonewall uprisg and the first Pri march — said the gural march, then lled Christopher Street Liberatn Day, was about g out of the shadows after Stonewall and fdg "pri ourselv. "Right after the rt, " he said, the "ant" activism that helped brg together the first Pri march was the most meangful perd of activism for the gay LGBTQ historians and lears say the renewed foc on police btaly on the anniversary of the first Pri march shows that LGBTQ activism, and the event of Pri self, is beg more like was 50 years ago. "I don't thk will ever e back the same forms, " Lillian Farman, thor of "The Gay Revolutn, " said of past pri events.

"We are a moment where every Amerin is beg lled upon to rporate a new way of thkg about social jtice to their everyday liv, and every person and anizatn that fds a way to thentilly do that should be appld and supported that attempt, " Carter Broidy, a -founr of the first Pri march and a former member of the Gay Liberatn Front, appld Pri Month's renewed tersectnal foc. "I'm thrilled to see all the young people, the diversy of the people, the tersectnaly, people marchg for a range of issu but keepg Black Liv Matter the foreont, " Broidy said, addg that the "gay liberatn movement" of the '60s and the '70s that she and her ntemporari advoted for was tersectnal before the word existed this ntext. London Mayor Sadiq Khan hailed a "betiful day" of "uny, visibily, equaly and solidary" as he joed the than 600 LGBTQ groups were expected to take part the march, which was head by members of the Gay Liberatn Front om the 1972 prott.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF GAY PRI PARAS ON BOTH ASTS

In 2016, Port was sentenced to life prison whout parole for the murrs of four young gay men whom he met onle.

Amongst those takg part were Olympian Dame Kelly Holm and sger Emeli San, both of whom recently me out publicly as nner and sger shared their excement at beg part of what the London mayor’s office scribed as the biggt Pri the pal on Park Lane ahead of the para Cred: Jam Manng/PAFloats led Park Lane ahead of the ma march through the pal, which was led by Gay Liberatn Front (GLF) activists holdg plards sayg “I was there 1972” and that they are “still fightg” for global LGBTQ+ Khan joed the origal UK founrs of Pri before the para Cred: Jam Manng/PAUniformed officers om the Metropolan Police are not takg part this year’s para after the force acknowledged ncerns om the LGBTQ+ muny the wake of quts which nclud police failgs “probably” ntributed to the aths of young men murred by serial killer Stephen volunteers add rabow face pat to each other's fac. Cred: PA ImagLondon Gay Men’s Chos, which was takg part the march, scribed an asslt on one of s members and his partner the early hours of Saturday as a “terrible attack”. A man was arrted by the Metropolan Police on spicn of g grievo bodily harm what the force said was treatg as a homophobic hate choir said the attack “only serv to unrle how important remas to fight agast homophobia and all forms of discrimatn” ratns a Routemaster b.

"Takg the same route that we marched along 1972 is a historil statement of how far we have e, " says Andrew Lumsn, one of the origal members of the Gay Liberatn Front, whose nceptn was spired by the Stonewall rts of 1969 New York Cy. It’s personal to me as a black gay man and a member of the Black LGBT+ muny that our relatnship is anchored our valu of visibilty, uny and equaly.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY PRIDE PARADE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

50th anniversary of gay pri paras on both asts — AP Photos.

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