Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
San Francisco Examiner - June 28, 2004
Alison Soltau, Staff Writer
The 34th Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride March, with its "Out 4 Justice" theme, drew tens of thousands to Market Street on Sunday.
The historic parade was infused with new momentum, marchers still high from The City's decision in February to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
Also topping the political agenda was legal justice for gays and transgender people, with the family of slain transgender teen Eddie Gwen Araujo receiving loud cheers of support following the mistrial last week of the men charged with Araujo's murder.
But there was no suppressing the giddiness of the newlyweds. A giant diamond solitaire engagement ring floated through the parade, along with scores of beaming couples bearing blown-up reproductions of their marriage licenses.
More than 4,000 couples were wed and the marriage licenses are in judicial limbo, facing legal challenges before the California Supreme Court.
"No one expected San Francisco to suddenly be at the center of the gay marriage debate. The energy at the parade this year is full throttle," said Bryan Alexander, marching alongside his partner, Sean, whom he married during the ceremonies before they were halted by the state court.
Lobbyist group Marriage Equality California paraded a replica of City Hall featuring a preacher chanting wedding vows and couples in ivory gowns, followed by a three-tiered wedding cake float.
Black-robed "judges" marched behind the wedding cavalcade, holding posters bearing the names of couples married in February, to symbolize the legal battle in the court.
The man responsible for issuing the gay licenses, Mayor Gavin Newsom, was center stage, surrounded by wide-eyed admirers who thrust bits of paper at him to autograph, and even chanted his name with the kind of awe normally reserved for rock stars as he rolled down Market Street in an open car.
Newsom said the main message of the day wasn't just marriage, but shared humanity.
With every hero, there is a villain. Cast in that role Sunday was President George W. Bush, whose election-year push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage has earned him the ire of the movement, and spurred numerous rainbow-colored stickers in support of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry.
Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who is currently mobilizing opposition in the state Legislature against Bush's amendment, swept by in a vintage car while clad in the requisite black leather pants.
Across the nation, pride parades drew hundreds of thousands to cities such as Boston and New York, echoing themes such as the need for religious acceptance of gay people, spousal immigration rights, reduced federal funding for AIDS and gay marriage.
The AIDS funding message has particular gravitas locally, with health care workers warning that the Bush administration's reduction of grants could have serious implications for clinics providing quality of life services for people with HIV and AIDS.
But the serious messages were not getting in the way of a good party.
Towering drag queens strode alongside freedom fighting fairies in combat boots and pink fatigues. Parents, children and pooches of gay couples marched The City's main street as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence celebrated 25 years of activism from the confines of a mobile black iron dungeon.
Writer Martha Shelley, one of the original activists during the Stonewall civil rights riots in New York in 1969, was marching with wife Sylvia Allen, pondering pivotal moments of the national gay rights movement.
"This is good for the morale of gay people," Shelley said. "AIDS is an important issue, but it is depressing and upsetting. Weddings are a positive thing. Who can get upset about people getting married?
"I've gone from being an outcast to finally being at a stage in my life where I can concentrate on other things, like raising my children," she added.
As if to emphasize the gay community's belief that gay marriage will eventually be an accepted part of mainstream life across the nation, a placard passed by: "We are here, we are queer, we are registered at Macy's."
040628
SE040604
Copyright © 2004 - San Francisco Examiner. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the San Francisco Examiner, Permissions Desk, 110 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 7260, San Franciso, CA 94120.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .