Historic Pride Celebrates Marriage
Last Sunday's Pride parade, which organizers said attracted a crowd of 1.2 million, was historic and a sense of jubilation was in the air, coming in the wake of two U.S. Supreme Court decisions that recognize same-sex marriages.
It was just last week that the high court, in a 5-4 decision, struck down a key provision in the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that withheld federal recognition and benefits to same-sex couples. The justices also recognized a lower California court's decision that Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional.
After the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco lifted a stay late Friday afternoon, June 28, same-sex marriages resumed at City Hall.
As a result, the Pride parade and related activities took on an air of joyfulness that hasn't been seen since the Supreme Court struck down state sodomy laws 10 years ago.
Around midday Sunday, most officials declined to estimate the crowd. In the parade's aftermath, Lisa Williams, president of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee board, estimated the crowd at 1.2 million.
One of the reasons for increased attendance this year might have been Williams herself.
In response to the Pride board of directors' April announcement and recession of grand marshal status to gay Army private Bradley Manning, currently facing court-martial for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, a large contingent of supporters, estimated at 2,000 by activist Lisa Geduldig, included Pentagon Papers leaker and straight ally Daniel Ellsberg, 82, who marched in his first Pride parade. Williams played a central role in the Manning controversy, first calling the episode a "mistake" and later saying that Manning could not be a community grand marshal because he is not local.
Pride organizers had put the Manning contingent toward the end of the parade at number 175. But a group of Manning supporters jumped in front of the Pride Committee's float (number 4), causing a minor disruption. That was enough to get them on TV and forced anchors Michelle Meow and Donna Sachet (the Bay Area Reporter's society columnist) to briefly explain the controversy to viewers.
Among parade onlookers, Manning also had many supporters who carried signs that read "Free Bradley Manning" and "Manning = LGBT hero."
History was very much on the mind of community grand marshal BeBe Sweetbriar, who wore a light summer outfit.
"This is an amazing day for me as grand marshal at this historic time," Sweetbriar said. "This Pride will go down in history."
Gay dancer Jared Rojo, 29, who accompanied the San Francisco Grand Ducal Court float, said he would have marriage equality in mind as he danced down Market Street. The Alameda paralegal said he had discussed marriage with his partner of six years and wedding bells may be in their future.
A man walked the parade route wearing a wedding veil. Another man, along mid-Market, wore a mock three-tier wedding cake atop his head and posed for photographs. A woman wore a wedding gown. Many marchers wore "Love is Pride" T-shirts.
A marriage supporter among onlookers held a sign: "Marriage equality is the pursuit of happiness."
There was also a marriage dissenter. An LGBT elder was having nothing to do with marriage. His sign read, "Don't marry, Be Happy."
LGBT employees at several corporations also marched festively to the parade's theme of "Embrace, Encourage, Empower." Groups represented Bank of America, Sutter Health, United Airlines, PG&E, Yahoo, and many more.
Members of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, fresh off their acclaimed "I Am Harvey Milk" concert, wore blue T-shirts with "I am the legacy" on the front and a Harvey Milk quote, "Hope will never be silent" on the back.
Though a citywide ban on nudity is the law, it does not apply to Pride. Several marchers and onlookers appeared in the buff.
Distance Everhart, a nude transgender woman whose occupation is "teaching living skills and traditional medicine," carried a sign that read: "Whistle blowing ain't no crime, Free Brad Manning." She said her message was "telling truth is no crime." Manning "served we the people," she said.
With the Supreme Court decision striking down a provision of DOMA, immigration equality was on the minds of many marchers, as federal rights are being extended to same-sex couples, including those dealing with immigration. One marcher carried a sign: "Don't stop with marriage equality. Queers are being deported."
A significant police presence was stationed at the start of the parade route at Beale and Market streets.
Oakland interim Police Chief Sean Whent said his attendance at the Pride parade was "historic."
"It is the first time an Oakland chief of police has attended the San Francisco Pride parade," he said.
When the Bay Area Reporter asked Whent why he came, he said, "It is a positive and exciting event. I thought it'd be fun to come out for a few hours."
One of the unusual groups that had a booth at the festival was the National Guard. It marked the first time that military recruiters were at San Francisco Pride and that drew some criticism from the transgender community. While the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" now allows open service by gays and lesbians, trans people are still prohibited from serving openly in the military.
Last week the Transgender Law Center issued a statement on the issue.
"Transgender Law Center is disappointed in San Francisco Pride's decision to welcome, for the first time ever, military recruiters to the city's annual celebration," the statement read. "Transgender people are routinely discharged from service simply for being their authentic selves."
The B.A.R. spoke with several transgender marchers and they were unaware of the issue. In response to a question on military discharge of transgender soldiers, Everhart, the nude Manning supporter, called it "bigotry too high for me to climb."
The B.A.R. asked at media and information stations for the location of the military recruiters but they were not at the location and were apparently elsewhere at the festival.
SF Pride CEO Earl Plante said the recruiters were present. He added that the organization would be preparing a programmatic and financial report in July on this year's event, that "highlights successes from this year and lays the pathway forward toward 2014."
Captain Shannon Terry with the California National Guard said that she and about 15 other recruiters had two days of "very productive" conversations with LGBT community members at Pride.
"The crowd was very receptive," she said in a telephone interview Monday.
Terry, 30, said a good number of people stopped by their booth to thank them for attending Pride and some of them became emotional with their gratitude.
"Some recalled their discharges," Terry explained.
Terry, who identifies as straight, said her recruiters saw a steady stream of interested LGBT community members on both days of Pride. Guard recruiters did see Manning protesters Sunday afternoon after the parade.
"We knew they were coming from their Twitter feed," Terry said. "About 25 protesters arrived to present their views on Manning. They were respectful and our recruiters simply agreed to disagree with them."
The protest lasted about 45 minutes, Terry said.
The military, Terry said, has asked for advice from the California National Guard on their national recruitment efforts. "We have been recruiting at Pride events before SCOTUS repealed DOMA and overturned Prop 8," she said, referring to the Supreme Court.
Terry was asked if the Guard would be part of next year's Pride activities.
"Absolutely," she said.
The 10th annual Trans March, which took place Friday, and the annual Dyke March and Pink Saturday parties also saw large and festive crowds.
Overall, marriage equality's return to California was the dominant theme of the parade.
The Reverend Don Fox, a gay Episcopal minister at San Francisco Night Ministry, said marchers and onlookers seemed "more joyous this year."
The marriage decision, Fox said, would affect his LGBT counseling. "With legal recognition of LGBT relationships, people will be bolder and more confident than before," he said.
He said there is no distinction between same-sex and heterosexual couples anymore.
"LGBT couples will be treated totally the same as heterosexuals," he said.
Marriage equality was "a long time coming," Fox added. It was a statement reflected on the faces of countless LGBT marchers, their children, and their well-wishers who marched with them and who celebrated with them along Market Street.