Page 444 - ILIAS ATHANASIADIS AKA RO1

The march was 51 blocks long from west of Sixth Avenue at Waverly Place, in
Greenwich Village, all the way to Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park, where

activists held a “Gay-in.”

Borrowing a technique that had been popularized by the Civil Rights
Movement, the “Gay-in” was both a protest and a celebration.

The front page of The New York Times ran with the headline, “Thousands of

Homosexuals Hold A Protest Rally in Central Park.”

There were no floats, no music blasting through the streets, no scantily clad
dancers: this was a political statement and a test—what would happen when

LGBT citizens became more visible?

While crowd estimates vary widely from 1,000 to 20,000, one thing remained
clear—there had never been a demonstration like this before.

Chicago actually took to the streets in 1970 the day before New York. The city

marked the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with a week-long
celebration that included a Gay Dance, workshops and speeches.

The week-long festivities ended with approximately 150 people marching from

Washington Square Park to the Water Tower at the intersection of Michigan
and Chicago avenues, with some continuing on to the Civic Center.

Organized by the Gay Liberation Movement, the official slogan was “Gay

Power.” The next day, the Chicago Tribune ran a 75-word story on the third
page with the headline, “Gay Liberation Stage March to Civic Center.”

On the same day as New York, the LGBT community of Greater Los Angeles

took to Hollywood Boulevard to display their pride.

The march almost did not happen. After applying for a permit, the organizers,

the Christopher Street West Association, were granted the right to march as
long as they paid fees exceeding $1.5 million.

It took the ACLU’s interference to ensure that Pride in LA would continue

without excessive, discriminatory costs.