Iraq Veterans Against the War member.
450,000 people flooded the streets of Lakeview, aka Boyztown, on Sunday in what was probably Chicago's largest Gay Pride Parade ever.
Through most of the parade route the packed crowds rolled off of the sidewalks and well into the street.
The huge crowd repeatedly erupted in applause when they saw our gigantic banner, "Troops Home Now!", giving marchers high-fives all the way down the route. Many joined in with that and other anti-war chants.
A great turn on a bad phrase! If George Bush has even a 26% approval rating, that 26% was nowhere to be found on Sunday.
The Contingent.
We want to thank our friends in Iraq Veterans Against the War, Chicagoland CodePINK, ANSWER, World Can't Wait , the Committee on Filipino Issues and the Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism for helping us make the contingent a success!
At the end of the parade we confronted anti-gay bigots of the Fred Phelpsian variety who would just rather have us dead. The more “moderate” bigots, headed by Illinois’s obsessive homophobe Peter LaBarbera, hired a plane to fly overhead with an anti-gay banner promising to “cure” homosexuality with their religion.
Death to gays.
While we did our level best to bring the highest quantity of bling to the parade with the shimmery fabric of our lead banner (it looked radioactive in the sunlight), there was no way we could compete with this guy!
We also participated in Saturday’s Dyke March, a decidedly NON-commercial event.
As always, Dykes on Bikes are the leaders of the pack.
Butch & Proud!
Femme & Fabulous!
Dykes for Peace.
GLN in the March.
GLN's Buddy Bell and Donte Smith.
Jeff Graubart (left) was a principal organizer of Chicago’s 1974 Gay Pride Parade. Conservative forces within the gay community had decided that pride parades weren’t needed anymore (even though we had won absolutely no legal rights) and so had cancelled that year’s parade. Jeff and others stepped up to the plate and did it in spite of them. A few years later, with the rise of Anita Bryant and the assassination of Harvey Milk, the need for the parade was apparent to everyone. Joining Jeff is GLN’s Dan Pioletti (right).
GLN’s Bob Schwartz “Keeps It Gay”.
