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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