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Gay Pride March is Very Moving Experience
by Larry Laughlin
Memories of the
Atlanta Gay Pride March
are burned into my brain
like the bright red sun
burn I got from part
icipating.Unlike many at
the March, this was my
first demonstration for
any political reason.
From the moment the
Barbmobile arrived at the
Civic Center I knew I was
in for a high. People-lots
of people-gathered to
march for gay rights and
gay pride! The idea of
large numbers of gay
people is always
gratifying,but to someone
who has never seen a
larger gathering of gays
than what the local bar
can boast, the spectacle of
1,500 shouting their
convictions was a
thrilling vindication of the
childhood myths I
swallowed. If the March
did nothing else but show
other gays our potential,
it was well worth the
effort.
The most gratifying
aspect was the unity
voiced by the entire
group. Bar owners,
Lesbian Feminists, gay
Christians and Socialists
all participated. Dif
ferences in beliefs and
perspectives were
evident, but placed in a
proper perspective
behind the goal of the
March: demonstrating
for gay rights, gay pride,
and telling Ms. Bryant she
ain’t won yet.
Signs such as “Women,
Blacks, and Gays Unite to
Fight Oppression,”
“Jesus Died for My Sins,
Not My Sexuality,” and
“It Takes a Fairy to Make
Something Beautiful,”
were paraded before
straight eyes. If I hadn’t
been laden with two
cameras, I would have
joined in with “Save Our
Homosexual Children.’’
There are criticisms I
could voice about the
event, but in the spirit of
the March I intend to keep
them to myself and affirm
my feeling of oneness
with what was expressed.
For, alas, the high wasn’t
to last beyond the evening
news. Coverage by
Channel 5 was evidence of
the sort of conciousness
we are up against.
Stressing over and over
that the March was
“controversial,” the
commentator indicated
that little more than a
disagreement with Anita
Bryant was behind the
March. Out of several
speeches touching on
many important points,
only a brief comment
about Anita was
represented. Most baf
fling of all was the choice
of the only two people
shown voicing an opinion
about the event.
One was a woman who
happened to be in Pied
mont Park. She thought
the whole thing was
“disgusting” and “non
sense.” I kept a keen eye
and ear out for reaction
from people we passed
and that is certainly far
from the sentiment I saw
expressed by most
Democratic Gays Organize
Atlanta - In an effort to
expand the role of gays in
local government,
several Atlanta gay
leaders met July 2 to form
Georgia’s first gay
Democratic association.
Among those at the
initial planning meeting
were Rev. Howard Wells
of Metropolitan Com
munity Church; Frank
Sheuren, local president
of Dignity , a gay Catholic
organization; Gil
Robinson, and Dr.
Stewart Strenger.
“We hope to work not
only within the electoral
process,” Gil Robison told
the BARB, “but also
within the framework of
the Democratic Party
which has historically
been more supportive of
civil rights and individual
freedom. Of course it is
the major political party
in Georgia. We are very
optimistic about ad
vancing gay rights by
going this route. It has
proven to be most ef
fective in other cities
across the country.”
A voter registration
drive is the new group’s
first project.
“Several of us have
become deputy
registars: You will soon
see us around the com
munity,” Robison
said,“gearing the drive to
the Atlanta city elections,
October 4. The deadline to
register is September 3. It
is extremely important
for gay people to vote,
regardless of political
preference. In the post-
Miami anti-gay backlash
that is developing, the
power of the gay vote is
going to be very im
portant to prevent the
erosion of tne gains the
gay movement has made
in the last few years.
“We will endorse those
candidates who support
anti -discr imination
legislation and the repeal
of sodomy statutes used in
entrapping and
harrassing our people.”
‘We must show those
;us
"them.
One recently told me,
‘Frankly, I’m afraid.
After Miami we’re all
afraid.’ It is essential that
we help them come out of
the closet in their support
of gay rights as well as
dealing with those like
City Councilman Hugh
Pierce who have been
openly homophobic for
years.”
The gay Democratic
association, as yet un
named, will meet July 28.
For more information call
355-1416.
politicians who support i
that we are behind them
people. The only other
person given exposure on
the news was a man in
drag. Out of 3,000 people
in the park, I observed
two people in drag. I
appreciated his com
ments and certainly
respect the right of
anyone to the lifestyle of
his or her choice, but
representative, he was
not.
All this brings to mind
what we are up against
from inside and outside
the movement. For
awhile, people with ab
solutely nothing more in
common than their
support for gay rights-
civil rights-will have to
speak with one voice on
that subject. Gay people
cannot afford the luxury
of internal bickering and
self-righteous
preaching. There is too
much to be gained from
pulling together-even if
only temporarily.
So many are ready to
throw in the towel,
already burnt out from so
little tangible results
from their efforts. The
kind of mentality we are
dealing with is sometimes
so overwhelming that it’s
tempting to look around
for a large, comfortable
closet. But once you’ve
tasted freedom, a diet of
oppression will make you
vomit.
If there is an Anita
Bryant, there is also an
Elaine Noble. If there’s
Miami, there’s also San
Francisco, where an
unprecedented 200,000
people marched in sup
port for gay rights. There
are victories to be won,
and Atlanta’s March was
proof that we have the
resources, even in the
Southeast, to win them.
the news monthly
for southern gays
AUGUST 1377
VOL. 4 NO.6
Atlanta - Mayor
Maynard Jackson issued
a- Civil Liberties Day
proclamation in the
middle of Atlanta’s 7th
Annual Gay Pride Week
Celebration. The
proclamation included
“s
among the mino
citizens whose civil
liberties should be
protected. The Mayor
noted that Civil Liberties
Day included July 4th,
Our Independence Day.
No mention was. made of
Jackson proclaimed Gay
Pride Day and incurred
heavy criticism from
church and civic groups.
The Citizens for Decency
in Atlanta took out full
page ads demanding the
Mayor’s resignation or
retraction.
Jackson defended his
action at a news con
ference at City Hall with
civil liberties groups and
church leaders at his side.
Organizers of Gay
Pride Week 1977, Victor
Host and Linda Rejgner,
both expressed disap
pointment at the Mayor’s
failure to proclaim Gay
Pride Day as requested.
Victor Host sited the fact
that 1977 is an election
year for Jackson as the
probable reason for his
failure to issue a Gay
Pride Day Proclamation
this year.
effort to talk with gay
community leaders
before he issued his
proclamation. The media,
fresh from its heavy
coverage of Dade County,
baraged his office as well
as gay people with
questions concerning
what the Mayor would do.
An aide to Mayor Jackson
did call on one gay person
to comment on the Civil
Liberties Day
proclamation just before
the document was
released.
Despite heavy
criticism from that
source, the proclamation
was issued unchanged.
Reaction in the gay
community ranged from
disappointment to anger
with most gays agreeing
that election year politics
caused the Mayor’s
courage to fail.