Pride Parades: How a Parade Changed the World

by Katherine McFarland Bruce

On June 28, 1970, two thousand gay and lesbian activists in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago paraded down the streets of their cities in a new kind of social protest, one marked by celebration, fun, and unashamed declaration of a stigmatized identity. Forty-five years later, over six million people annually participate in 115 Pride parades across the United States. They march with church congregations and college gay-straight alliance groups, perform dance routines and marching band numbers, and gather with friends to cheer from the sidelines.

With vivid imagery, and showcasing the voices of these participants, Pride Parades tells the story of Pride from its beginning in 1970 to 2010. Though often dismissed as frivolous spectacles, the author builds a convincing case for the importance of Pride parades as cultural protests at the heart of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Weaving together interviews, archival reports, quantitative data, and ethnographic observations at six diverse contemporary parades in New York City, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Burlington, Fargo, and Atlanta, Bruce describes how Pride parades are a venue for participants to challenge the everyday cultural stigma of being queer in America, all with a flair and sense of fun absent from typical protests. Unlike these political protests that aim to change government laws and policies, Pride parades are coordinated, concerted attempts to improve the standing of LGBT people in American culture.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, LGBT

320 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2016

Reviews

[Holly Cruise]

Interesting analysis and interviews covering a diverse spread of Pride parades in the US.

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting piece of social anthropology on the subject of gay pride parades. From their history and founding in the Christopher Street Liberation Day marches to the ongoing questions of how the queer community should best present itself to gain societal acceptance without giving up our identities. Also contains some discussion of the role of corporate sponsors in pride and the possibility it might shunt out the voices of the less-fortunate or well-moneyed among the community. Fascinating stuff, very well-researched.

[Mills College Library]

306.76609 B8872 2016