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Gay Day: The Golden Age of the Christopher Street Parade 1974-1983
With captions by Allen Ginsberg and a preface by William S. Burroughs, this is the only book to celebrate and chronicle the gay parade in NYC during its heyday.
An all-new collection-none of the photos, captions, or preface has ever been published before! Taken during the early days of the gay pride parade, these photos were captioned by Allen Ginsberg and laid aside until now. This book provides a unique and personal look into the roots of one the city's most vibrant traditions, as well as being an important addition to gay/lesbian literature and photo documentation.
Hank O'Neal chronicled the New York City gay pride parade from the informal, spontaneous ritual held soon after the Stonewall Riots up to the more orchestrated, glamorous parades of the 80s, before AIDS turned the parade into a political necessity. All of O'Neal's photographs date from 1974 to 1984, when the parade was held on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village (it has since moved to 5th Avenue). The photos capture the personality, the community, and the spirit of the gay pride parade in its earliest stages.
An all-new collection-none of the photos, captions, or preface has ever been published before! Taken during the early days of the gay pride parade, these photos were captioned by Allen Ginsberg and laid aside until now. This book provides a unique and personal look into the roots of one the city's most vibrant traditions, as well as being an important addition to gay/lesbian literature and photo documentation.
Hank O'Neal chronicled the New York City gay pride parade from the informal, spontaneous ritual held soon after the Stonewall Riots up to the more orchestrated, glamorous parades of the 80s, before AIDS turned the parade into a political necessity. All of O'Neal's photographs date from 1974 to 1984, when the parade was held on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village (it has since moved to 5th Avenue). The photos capture the personality, the community, and the spirit of the gay pride parade in its earliest stages.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Allen Ginsberg
490 books4,112 followersAllen Ginsberg was a groundbreaking American poet and activist best known for his central role in the Beat Generation and for writing the landmark poem Howl. Born in 1926 in Newark, New Jersey, to Jewish parents, Ginsberg grew up in a household shaped by both intellectualism and psychological struggle. His father, Louis Ginsberg, was a published poet and a schoolteacher, while his mother, Naomi, suffered from severe mental illness, which deeply affected Ginsberg and later influenced his writing—most notably in his poem Kaddish.
As a young man, Ginsberg attended Columbia University, where he befriended other future Beat luminaries such as Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady. These relationships formed the core of what became known as the Beat Generation—a loose-knit group of writers and artists who rejected mainstream American values in favor of personal liberation, spontaneity, spiritual exploration, and radical politics.
Ginsberg rose to national prominence in 1956 with the publication of Howl and Other Poems, released by City Lights Books in San Francisco. Howl, an emotionally charged and stylistically experimental poem, offered an unfiltered vision of America’s underbelly. It included candid references to homosexuality, drug use, and mental illness—subjects considered taboo at the time. The poem led to an obscenity trial, which ultimately concluded in Ginsberg’s favor, setting a precedent for freedom of speech in literature.
His work consistently challenged social norms and addressed themes of personal freedom, sexual identity, spirituality, and political dissent. Ginsberg was openly gay at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized in much of the United States, and he became a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights throughout his life. His poetry often intertwined the personal with the political, blending confessional intimacy with a broader critique of American society.
Beyond his literary achievements, Ginsberg was also a dedicated activist. He protested against the Vietnam War, nuclear proliferation, and later, U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. He was present at many pivotal cultural and political moments of the 1960s and 1970s, including the 1968 Democratic National Convention and various countercultural gatherings. His spiritual journey led him to Buddhism, which deeply influenced his writing and worldview. He studied under Tibetan teacher Chögyam Trungpa and helped establish the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
Ginsberg’s later years were marked by continued literary output and collaborations with musicians such as Bob Dylan and The Clash. His poetry collections, including Reality Sandwiches, Planet News, and The Fall of America, were widely read and respected. He received numerous honors for his work, including the National Book Award for Poetry in 1974.
He died of liver cancer in 1997 at the age of 70. Today, Allen Ginsberg is remembered not only as a pioneering poet, but also as a courageous voice for free expression, social justice, and spiritual inquiry. His influence on American literature and culture remains profound and enduring.
As a young man, Ginsberg attended Columbia University, where he befriended other future Beat luminaries such as Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady. These relationships formed the core of what became known as the Beat Generation—a loose-knit group of writers and artists who rejected mainstream American values in favor of personal liberation, spontaneity, spiritual exploration, and radical politics.
Ginsberg rose to national prominence in 1956 with the publication of Howl and Other Poems, released by City Lights Books in San Francisco. Howl, an emotionally charged and stylistically experimental poem, offered an unfiltered vision of America’s underbelly. It included candid references to homosexuality, drug use, and mental illness—subjects considered taboo at the time. The poem led to an obscenity trial, which ultimately concluded in Ginsberg’s favor, setting a precedent for freedom of speech in literature.
His work consistently challenged social norms and addressed themes of personal freedom, sexual identity, spirituality, and political dissent. Ginsberg was openly gay at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized in much of the United States, and he became a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights throughout his life. His poetry often intertwined the personal with the political, blending confessional intimacy with a broader critique of American society.
Beyond his literary achievements, Ginsberg was also a dedicated activist. He protested against the Vietnam War, nuclear proliferation, and later, U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. He was present at many pivotal cultural and political moments of the 1960s and 1970s, including the 1968 Democratic National Convention and various countercultural gatherings. His spiritual journey led him to Buddhism, which deeply influenced his writing and worldview. He studied under Tibetan teacher Chögyam Trungpa and helped establish the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
Ginsberg’s later years were marked by continued literary output and collaborations with musicians such as Bob Dylan and The Clash. His poetry collections, including Reality Sandwiches, Planet News, and The Fall of America, were widely read and respected. He received numerous honors for his work, including the National Book Award for Poetry in 1974.
He died of liver cancer in 1997 at the age of 70. Today, Allen Ginsberg is remembered not only as a pioneering poet, but also as a courageous voice for free expression, social justice, and spiritual inquiry. His influence on American literature and culture remains profound and enduring.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 2, 2016
The photo captions by Allen Ginsberg are absolutely awful; did he actually think he was being clever or witty or funny in any way? Some of them make no sense whatsoever, and some of them are just plain bad. But I enjoyed the photos themselves. I love seeing what gay life used to be like in the carefree hedonistic days of the 1970s, before AIDS hit and life changed. I was a teenager in the '70s so I remember many of the clothing styles very well, and even though I wasn't out yet, I still identified with the people depicted in the photos. It makes me depressed to see the photos of the lesbians though. So many of them are hard to look at, with their angry serious faces and their braless, saggy breasts. I realize being a lesbian feminist separatist was hard work, but come on, ladies! It was the Gay Pride Parade so lighten up and have fun!
All in all, a fascinating slice of gay life as it used to be four decades ago.
All in all, a fascinating slice of gay life as it used to be four decades ago.
April 25, 2021
Oof this is a tough one to rate since the book was a collaboration. The photographs by Hank O’Neal were nice and the concluding essay by Neil Miller was moving. Miller’s historical context gave more life to the protests documented.
The captions by Allen Ginsberg fell short. Ginsberg’s captions to O’Neal’s photographs seemed to be an attempt to be witty or funny? I didn’t get it. The commentary served no contextual purpose and at times was rude. This book would have been so much better if there were historical captions to the photos or if the commentary were from the photographer’s perspective.
I bought this as a thrift gift find to a friend. I can see it serving as a nice coffee table book especially during PRIDE month. The pictures are fun to look at but the captions were an absolute waste of time.
The captions by Allen Ginsberg fell short. Ginsberg’s captions to O’Neal’s photographs seemed to be an attempt to be witty or funny? I didn’t get it. The commentary served no contextual purpose and at times was rude. This book would have been so much better if there were historical captions to the photos or if the commentary were from the photographer’s perspective.
I bought this as a thrift gift find to a friend. I can see it serving as a nice coffee table book especially during PRIDE month. The pictures are fun to look at but the captions were an absolute waste of time.
March 22, 2018
What I really thought about the book, in my opinion was detailed and I like the pictures. It talked about Greenwich Village in New York City and the Gay Pride Parade being a huge event. I learned something about the Gay Pride Pride but I never knew how much it would impact so many people coming out. There were different types of Gays mentioned in the book. If you noticed the gay community, Bisexual community, and Transgender community, they all fought for their rights in the streets of New York City. I loved learning about the history of the Gay Pride Parade in New York City.
July 26, 2024
The captions ruined this for me.
July 4, 2013
Loved the images and the afterward, which gives vital history of our movement. Ginsberg's captions are silly, thoughtless, sexist, and sometimes racist. I would love to see this redone without his crazed comments. The concept is wonderful — there was this marvelous decade between the Stonewall Uprising in 1969, and the advent of AIDS in 1981—that encompassed the pride and celebration of the gay revolution. This are the images of that celebration. I loved the description of these images — they are the faces of the outrageous and the outraged. Just a point of fact: this is a march, not a parade. Editors should revisit this word. The two are very different.
February 20, 2013
O'Neal's photos were historically interesting, but Allen Ginsberg's handwritten captions were inane. Not a whole lot here for me as a queer woman, I'm afraid.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews