Newspaper Page Text
Page 6
ALL PHOTOS BY PAMELA J. COLE
Jesse R. Peel, M.D.
General Psychiatry/ Psychotherapy
120 Ralph McGill Blvd., Suite 820
Atlanta, Ga. 30308
(404)885-1662
mmmmmmmmMmmmMMmMmrnmmmmmm
M nr?/?!•zl
a 1 jL
Desktop Publishing, Inc.
TYPESETTING / DESIGN / PRINTING
We know your type-377*8899
1385 Oxford Rd. - Emory Village
Business Cards • Stationery
Resumes • Fivers • Newsletters
Lesbian and Gay Pride Week '88: Images to Remember
Over a thousand Atlanta lesbians and gays
defied scorching temperatures to participate in
the most successful Pride celebration the city
has seen in years. While it is true that the crowd,
variously estimated between 1,500 and 3,000,
'Shame! Shame! Shame!"
Of the few people on the sidewalks, only
one bystander tried to disrupt the march by
preaching a gospel of hatred. He was quickly
drowned out by a sea of proud rebuttal.
the stage during opening ceremonies to kick off the day-long rally.
pride. The old banner taken by Atlanta to the
nation's capital was dusted and shined and
introduced to Atlanta's streets.
"Out of the closet and into the streets!"
Despite near 100-degree temperatures,
representatives of dozens of lesbian and gay
groups marched through the city. A banner
from the city's gay synagogue, Bet Haverim,
was carried along with those of four other
gay and lesbian churches, and signs from a
rainbow of gay and lesbian groups. The
always dynamic members of P-FLAG could
not miss this day to tell the world how much
they love their children. And heat was no
deterrent to those who made their statements
with clothes. Even leather was worn by some,
but more eyes turned to the lesbian wearing
only suspenders over her black-lace bra. She
received almost as much attention as the
police women who roared on their
motorcycles next to the marchers and then
stayed to watch over the celebration at
Piedmont Park.
"Gay rights, ya'H!"
The colorful group poured into the park to
be met by several hundred more supporters.
Yes. The Atlanta march pales when
compared to many around the country.
Seattle, which has a smaller community, saw
15,000 lesbians and gays take to the streets.
Chicago's march included 70,000, New York
had at least 100,000 and San Francisco, the
biggest of all, had 275,000 marchers,
including Mayor Agnos and his children. Still
the 1988 Pride march in Atlanta was the
biggest in years. 1987 was estimated at only
300, and most of those active for several
years in the city say this year's march as the
biggest since the days of Anita Bryant
Jeffrey Laymon of the Metropolitan Atlanta
Council of Gay and Lesbian Organizations
(MACGLO), one of the organizers of Pride
Week '88, glowed as he looked over the
crowd. "1 think we have about three thousand
people here. And it's great!"
"We're here because we're queer!"
The rally area at the park was surrounded
by booths set up by different community
groups in the city, from the newly revived
gay and lesbian group at Georgia Tech, to
GAPAC's voter registration drive which
prepared another two hundred people to vote
in Fulton County. All the while, several
Tipton Bishop received a standing ovation
for his song from "Higher Ground."
candidates for elected office walked through
the crowd requesting gay and lesbian support
Cathy Woolard, president of the ACLU
Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter, coordinator
of the Atlanta March Commiuee and M.C.
for most of the events at the park, managed to
persuade the crowd to participate in "Psucdo-
Civil Disobcdiance." At Piedmont Park, in
the middle of the city of Atlanta, bastion of
repressive sodomy laws, hundreds of lesbians
The Atlanta March Committee led the way down Peachtree St with their banner
from the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
represented only a small fraction of the gay and
lesbian population of the city, those who were
present felt a sense of responsibility to represent
the ones who stayed behind closet doors.
Several hours later, the same man reappeared
at the Park, where he tried to continue
preaching against gays and lesbians. He was
eventually taken out of the park by police.
"We are family. I got all my sisters with me." (1-r) Jane, Sue, Ann and Cheryl in
Sunday's march to Piedmont Park.
"What do we want? Gay rights! When do we
want them? Now!"
Sunday traffic came to a standstill along the
parade route from the Civic Center to Piedmont
Park. Only a few people were outdoors on that
sweltering Sunday, but those driving near the
marchers along Peachtree and Piedmont Road
had no choice. They had to look and they had to
listen.
The same chant was directed at Dr.
Charles Stanley's First Baptist Church on
Peachtree Street, from whose pulpit has come
a steady stream of homophobic sermons.
"We're proud, We're gay, We're all that
way!"
The entire day was filled with the spirit
that made last October's March on
Washington a life-changing experience for
every person who made that pilgrimage of
BY APPOINTMENT
BRENDA L. HAWKINS, ED.D
LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST
COUNSELING. PSYCHOTHERAPY AND HYPNOSIS
1518 MONROE DRIVE
SUITE 600
ATLANTA GA 30324
(404) 872-9016
Cont'd on Page 7
Ms. Cheryl Lomax read the Fulton County
Lesbian and Gay Rights Proclamatioa
slowly kissed their favorite lesbians, while
gay men did the same to their favorite gay
men. That was early afternoon at the park,
and during the evening activities at the park it
happened again: The great 1988 Piedmont
Park Lesbian and Gay Kiss-in.
But much more than kissing happened on
stage. The events at the park went from
2 P.M. until 5 P.M., and in the evening
from 7 until 9 P.M.
Design • Consultation
Sales • Lease
Rental
Guaranteed
Maintenance
GREEN
THUMB
TROPICALS
HOURS: M-S10-7 • Sun. 1-7
1431 Piedmont Rd. • 897-1307