 |
First Gay Pride March on July 6 |
|
Compiled By GayToday
"This years Mardi Gras marks the 30th anniversary of the first Gay Pride
celebration in Britain", notes Peter Tatchell. As a member of the London Gay
Liberation Front, he helped organize the first Pride march on July 1, 1972.
The 2002 Pride Parade and Mardi Gras Festival is on Saturday, July 6. The Parade starts at 12 noon from Hyde Park Corner. The Festival starts at 3pm on Hackney Marshes. "There were only 700 people on the first Gay Pride march in 1972. We marched from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park, where we held a Gay Day. The police were very heavy and aggressive. It was quite scary," recalls Tatchell. "The public reaction was bewilderment. Most had never knowingly seen a gay person, let alone hundreds of queers marching to demand human rights".
"Although there are still many injustices to overcome, our community has made huge strides towards freedom over the last three decades. None of these gains have been given to us on a plate. Every advance has been the hard won result of determined campaigning. It took us 33 years to win an equal age of consent". "There is no excuse for apathy. Much discrimination still needs to be overturned: Section 28, the ban on gay parenting and partnership rights, and the lack of legal protection against homophobic discrimination", said Tatchell. |
