by Evelyn Bailey
Sunday, May 16, 1971: the first gay picnic – About 300 people from Rochester, buffalo and other upstate areas gathered in Genesee Valley Park for Rochester Gay liberation Front's First Annual "Gay In." A volleyball game and a women's touch football game highlighted the afternoon picnic.
June 21-27, 1971 is Gay Pride Week all across the country for the second year. In New York City a march by 50,000 gay people on June 27 will be the highlight of the week on the East Coast. The Rochester Gay Liberation Front is charting a bus to New York City for the March. The bus fare is $15 round-trip.
Sunday, July 4, 1971: three gay liberation people, RJ Alcala, Karen Hagberg and Jim Fishman will appear on the Channel 21 TV show "Call 21." The listening audience is invited to call in questions and comments while the show is on the air.
July 18, 1971: the topic for the Gay Liberation Front's general meeting will be "Gay Marriage and Role-Playing in the Gay Community." The program committee wrote a questionnaire on Gay Marriage, which members filled out at the July 11 meeting. The questionnaire will facilitate discussion at our meeting on the 18th.
July in Rochester is Gay Pride Month. In July, 2008 the GAGV will hold its 37th consecutive annual picnic, which began on Sunday, May 16, 1971. As you read through the events of July, 1971 you will notice a dance, an educational TV appearance, and a discussion on a current topic that could take place today.
History affirms our direction and gives us credibility. It also gives us a sense of deep pride that is rooted in our social, economic and political struggles and successes to be equal and free to be who we are.
From its incorporation in March, 1974 to this day in 2008, the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley has worked tirelessly to cultivate a healthy inclusive environment where individuals of all sexual orientations and gender expressions are safe, thriving, and enjoy full civil rights. Many shoulders have carried the banner of Gay Rights and Equality for all.
I invite you to take pride in your community's accomplishments and to recognize your own contribution in this effort. Shoulders to Stand On will tell the history of the Gay Liberation Movement in Rochester. Please support this effort with your time, your talent, and your financial support. You can volunteer, make contributions, and share your story right on this website.
Most of all, BE PROUD! Celebrate Rochester Gay Pride, July 9 – 19.