The rise of Atlanta's Black Gay Pride
“I had never seen an outdoor event during the daylight in somebody’s backyard with this many Black gay men—it was astounding.”
Out
&
Proud
Celebrating Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ Journey on the 50th Anniversary of Atlanta Pride
Edited by Richard L. Eldredge
The first Atlanta Pride was held in Piedmont Park 50 years ago to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, which took place after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village. Atlanta’s gathering bore little resemblance to the lavish corporate-sponsored spectacles that have taken over Midtown each October (though going virtual this year due to the pandemic). In the summer of 1970, few were willing to march on a public sidewalk holding aloft an “Equal Rights for Gays” sign, as homosexuality was both illegal and grounds for termination from most jobs. The American Psychiatric Association wouldn’t remove homosexuality from its catalogue of psychiatric disorders until 1973.
In the aftermath of Stonewall—the incident that sparked the modern gay rights movement—young gay people from across the South fled their small towns for Atlanta. Dr. King’s hometown, the cradle of the civil rights movement, was known for progressive leaders like Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young, John Lewis, and the city’s new mayor, Sam Massell.
Former mayor and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young says, “For people like John Lewis and myself, the question of gay rights goes all the way back to the March on Washington. Much of Atlanta’s population moved here because they could not be themselves in their small towns. Accepting people and honoring their freedom to live and love whomever they choose was simply the right thing to do.”
This issue of Atlanta traces the strides our LGBTQ+ community has made over the last half-century. But we have far to go. As Taylor Alxndr points out, “There’s a larger conversation around Pride in general, all over the country, as being white.” And efforts to include all races and sexual orientations have become especially critical in this year of heightened social consciousness.
Longtime gay activist Pat Hussain warns the work is not done: “We have to use our elbows to make room for others. We have to reach out to and support people who remain marginalized. It’s about not closing the door behind you when you know someone’s hungry on the other side.”
ABOVE PHOTO: The 1977 Atlanta Pride Parade
PHOTOGRAPH BY JEROME MCCLENDON/AJC/GSU COLLECTION
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Join the voices of Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community below as we celebrate 50 years of Atlanta Pride. The three-part conversation series includes A Night with the Indigo Girls, Atlanta’s Political Trailblazers, and A Backstreet Reunion.
The conversation series is presented by Absolut, Assurant, Your Atlanta Area BMW Centers, MARTA, Regions Bank, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and WarnerMedia. We are donating a portion of the proceeds to support the vital work of Lost-n-Found Youth.
