Gay freedom day 1978

The Pacifica. Service and radio. All radio people were KPFA come on you're a ringer for what you know about the turned out so well get it out. Never enough never enough. That was Harvey Milk a gay supervisor of San Francisco at the eighth annual Gay Freedom Day Parade KPFA was there along with a quarter million people who marched for four hours of San Francisco's Market Street. From the financial district through the Tenderloin to the civic center demanding human rights for lesbians and gay men. The march was festive but with a militant tone brought on by yet another attack on gay rights. The Briggs initiative. Yes. The marching past the Standard Oil

building here on market. Big high sky rises from the financial district of San Francisco in the parade a stop for a moment. You're from a cabbie where March you were actually marching with the HANO were individuals marching in this group. This is very close to my heart because he was a member of the Communist Party in the 50s. So we know what we're dealing with this kind of situation and this is more knock us than anything we confronted in the 50s. So it's so subtle and it's going to hit everybody everybody is going to be affected by why are you marching in this contingent on my marching because I think that we should stop Briggs. Now. Anita Bryant is not. A God in heaven you know. I'm not gay myself but I'm understanding more and more about the people. And Mr. Briggs said you know there are enough laws on the books if any teacher commits a immoral activity in a classroom he is fired anyway. So all of this Bridget should have an Iran you want to just make a publicity for himself. I think it's just unfair.

Thank God. Yes I was I was OK. You mean. My friends anybody who supports my right to be gay can be fired just for believing that people think of it in terms of it's a gay rights issue. As opposed to being a free speech issue and. That they are straight to you as my friend. I mean it says when you're around a student or school employee that means your whole life. I mean how do you know when you're running in a school employee and not even when your own to any action that comes to be attention or is likely to come to tension I think the wording. Of the you know another boy like you hasn't gotten across at least in my experience that it's that it can affect them too yet. It's really a pernicious initiative. And should be

voted down. As much as possible. Two to one. At least. Right yeah. Right yeah yeah yeah yeah. What's the connection between Baki Briggs and Jarvis again. White male straight educated and well-off and that's who gets the rights in this country Senate. It's been everyone else who has had to go out and fight for the rights and so people are beginning to see that they do have a common enemy. I am. Was. A And yes I am. I was in the Chris Christie bridge in New York last year. And this week is just. Just hot.

Thank you carrying a sign that says community from Orange County are you the only member. No there's actually 13 of us. They let a few of us at loose guys only had one parade and didn't have to make bomb threats so we chickened out I guess. Orange County is the county that's responsible for Senator Briggs. We know we know. What is it like living there I mean is it a real dichotomy between people that don't believe gays exist. Right. It's very interesting. I think I'm alarmed that there are so many. People. That are in this condition I guess you would say it's hard for me to tell because all I can think of where I'm at and I'm just feeling so incredibly beautiful inside the period of being just very much with myself and other periods of really feeling the energy here. Approaching the Alice B Toklas Democratic Club. Kathy what's her name happy. PATTERSON What is the Democratic Club. This Democratic club in the whole

country. OK what are you trying to accomplish in the Democratic Caucus Democratic Club. They are one of the same really and we're all trying to have the same goals or we should. And that we are really an example of what human rights is all about. I'm a straight woman. Frank is a gay man and I think that expresses what Alice is. And we also play politics. Look at our floats he was on there. All the people in the Florida politicians that have sought our Norseman have gotten it who work with us. And look like noce Willie Brown School Board member Joe Johnson. And that's what it's all of. Doubt. Not only will women lose their jobs as teachers but they also will go into other occupations I don't think repressive movements like that stay in one place I think they can move into probably nursing and other such occupations and would filter all the way through society. So I think it would affect us very much. I think race will probably win but we're going to try our damnedest and display every bit of energy we have to to counteract it.

We're from central California. I think I'm alarmed because I'm worried about you know. According to the age of man that maybe we're going downhill because this is one of the things one of the signs that happens to our country our civilization it's too bad it has to be political I think probably I personally feel that anyone who. Wishes to live this way it's their their own thing. But I don't think they're probably right. Because I think it makes parents fearful for their children. And I think would be better. You know to keep it to yourself I mean who knows what goes on behind the bedroom in anyone's bedroom. Or where anyone's home. So why i want. This one to be impossible when I was his age because we had McCarthy or you know it was homosexuals were as bad as communists and they were throwing him out of government I said told him that I was such a closet case at that time that if I had to realize it.

Twenty years later I've been marching in a gay parade in San Francisco with my son I'd probably shot myself. Your group of gay veterans I was spent four years in Vietnam and got in trouble then just because they had my village they would say on one hand you know just save the heart you know the hearts and minds of people on the other hand I don't want to burn I just body counts and. So if anybody spoke up against a time they were naturally. Think oh. This has been an. Gays that have served and died for the country ever but as good as any other veterans. When you think of it. It's different. Have you seen other gay parades. Yes. Is this one different enough. Well not really. That's a positive or negative statement. I can't decide either. Why don't you like about it. I think there are a lot of very stereotype people. The kind of stereotypes that really have the sexual stereotypes on.

A lot of the people in suits. I don't know. It's very strange. I'm I'm really amazed when I see large groups of people like this because you can see similarities in me what you may have in common with some people and they just see exact opposites and things that would almost drive you away I think. You've been accused of. Presenting a bad gay image. Really I think I'm presenting a gay image. But. I'm not going to be moralistic about it. But you describe yourself. It's incredible. It really it takes a little bit. You've got it you've got a combo of sort of platinum blonde in a blue wig. Dishwater blue dishwater Aqua. Fishnet stockings. And you've got red glitter in your most mustache and eyebrows. Mediterranean base make lots of color. The eyelashes are about 0 1 inch and a half or at least they weight don't you

know they don't bother me at all. You worked up your eyelid muscles. They don't bother you at all. The parade was wonderful. I mean I don't live in middle class America and I don't represent middle class America. And I'm not going to closet the things about my gay life that I enjoy. It's just part of it. And if you want to hide it you can hide it but you can't hide it because it's there. And present it and be proud of it. OK. OK. OK OK. OK what do you think of it. Why have the CD Oh yeah and I like to sing like that because you know a lot of people with banners are trying to make connections between this Briggs initiative that lesbians and gay men and the back in case the E.R. a big abortion. Do you think the connections are getting made between all these different attacks on progressive people. Well I don't think it's a question of the connection you made the connections already there and

what people have to do is people have to start looking at in the people start looking at it not from the perspective of you know you know seeing a particular group. There's one saying that you know one of the so-called found the fathers of this country that I think actually holds true for people struggling and that is that you know we all if we don't hang together we hang separately. You know so the connection is with them people just have to start saying what do you think of the parade. Yeah just a minute but but but what's to spread far. It's for gay rights it's wrong on. This one. Do you live in this area. Yeah yeah a lot of gay people that live around here and I've been but I know I'm not a gay people and gay people get along in this neighborhood. Now all right. So you're heterosexual. I try to be in this city it's hard to know

that you know. Here and there maybe down the street pushing us out of the way. San Francisco great freedom day marching band enjoying car. Oh and are they truly forming up a store. There old man with the red running shorts. And white T-shirts. Man it's men and women. Marching. Now let's listen. As a batter being held by. Four white men in business suits from the Golden Gate Business Association. What's the go gay business association or a gay Chamber of Commerce. We've been. We've been entitle the gay Kiwanis by the Wall Street straight news. We have about 300 small businesses that are owned by gay people. We're getting a very nice response to people seem interested in making use of gay businesses.

Our group is just trying to tell people that it is not all a lunatic fringe that there are a lot of gay people that have good jobs and good people in the community and we just want to be seen. But we cannot return a meeting to another sex meeting at the National Sex forum this is part of our courses in a day intensive course. And part of his marching in the parade. There comes a galant day Latino Alliance a Latino life. Has God doing a good thing. You know what's going to happen in my home. We're trapped in the parade route. Here but people here Ralph what do you think of the parade. That's right. Thank you. What do you call the sidewalk back and what do they have to keep drapes in front of me. Why do you know think it's very narrow right here what do you think of the brick in the middle of it the south. It's wonderful wonderful.

We have about a hundred people that came down and there are a lot of the game and women live here. Utah it's considered pretty conservative you know it's Mormon country the Mormon Church's attitude towards gays is probably not much better than Anita Bryant same executives say What's it like to be gay in Utah. It's not hard to get there is not so bad I mean people have you talked to a beautiful beautiful place of the Mormons mind their own business. Because all these Mormons are gay that have come down here these are all gay Mormons. Really. That writing is very important for gay men to work together a. Gay rights Grayle something is important for both to work for women's rights and there where you also need to be concerned about other minority rights and what's happening to labor in this country tomorrow and if we had a coalition like that going we would be the majority of the minority. This program has produced special moldering special thanks to this room and the fruit

punch collection. For Pacifica.