Pride parades

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, more than 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. Using vivid imagery and showcasing voices of these participants, Pride Parades tells the story of Pride from its beginning, in 1970, to 2010. Though often dismissed as frivolous spectacles, sociologist Katherine McFarland Bruce builds a convincing case for the importance of Pride parades as cultural protests at the heart of the 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 that are absent from typical protests. A wonderful and informative history, Pride Parades is essential reading for anyone who cares about the LGBT movement.