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Archives and Records
Finding Aid
COLLECTION NUMBER:
TITLE:
Coll.6
Boston Pride Collection
COLLECTION SUMMARY
Creator(s):
Title:
Extent:
Date Span:
Location:
The History Project (primarily Libby Bouvier)
Boston Pride Collection
3 Linear Feet
1970 – ongoing
The History Project, Archives and Records Department
Finding aid prepared for The History Project, Archives and Records Department, by Emilia
Poppe Mountain, student in the History/Archives masters degree program at Simmons
College, under the supervision of Andrea Still and Libby Bouvier, Spring 2008.
SUBJECT TERMS
Subject Names:
Eastern Regional Conference of Homophiles Organization
Gay Pride Committee
Lavender Rhino, Inc.
Lesbian & Gay Pride Committee
Pride Celebrations, Inc.
Pride, Inc.
The Boston Pride Committee, Inc.
The History Project
New England Pride
Subject Topics:
Gay pride parades
Gay pride parades—Massachusetts—Boston.
Document Types:
Buttons
Calendars
Flyers
Forms
Itineraries
Maps
Newspaper clippings
Party cards
1
�Photographs
Programs
Shopping bags
Speeches
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Terms of Use/Copyright: Unrestricted, though some items in the collection are copyrighted
by individuals and/or organizations outside The History Project.
Contact The History Project for further information:
29 Stanhope Street
Boston, MA 02116
617.266.7733
info@historyproject.org
www.historyproject.org
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
In June of 1970, a small group of lesbian and gay activists from the Homophile Union of
Boston, Boston Daughters of Bilitis, Student Homophile League, Gay Liberation Front, Gay
Woman’s Liberation, and the all-male Fag Rag collective marched from the Cambridge
Common to the Boston Common as part of a Vietnam War protest. That summer, Boston
commemorated the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, credited as the catalyst for the
gay liberation movement, with a weeklong series of events. The first official Gay Pride
march occurred the next year on June 26, 1971, as the culmination of a week of workshops
on issues involving and relevant to the lesbian and gay community. There has been a Pride
march/parade in Boston every year since then.
Boston introduced the Lavender Rhinoceros as the Pride mascot in 1974.
Since the beginning of Pride, there have been continual debates about whether Pride Week
should be more of a party or a political rally, as well as debate concerning the involvement
of drag and transgender issues in the march.
In 1977, Congressman Barney Frank and State Senator Elaine Noble marched in Boston
Pride and many participants addressed Anita Bryant’s attempts to repeal the gay rights
ordinance in Dade County, Florida. Boston Pride was renamed the New England Lesbian and
Gay Pride Parade in 1978, giving greater attention to issues particular to lesbian
communities and individuals.
A major focus of the 1981 parade was the firing of Robin McCormack, Boston mayor Kevin
White’s liaison to the lesbian and gay community, after budget cuts. Other early 1980s
controversies include: Chris Madsen being fired by the Christian Science Monitor, Mayor
Kevin White’s term limited ordinance protecting city workers against discrimination based on
sexual orientation (1982), growing community awareness of HIV/AIDS (1983), the change
of the rally site to a Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival (1984), and the question of whether or
not to charge entrance fees.
2
�Controversies during the mid- to late-1980s centered on Governor Dukakis’s introduction of
statewide legislation that would require listing the sexual preferences of prospective foster
parents in order to provide “traditional family settings” for children, as well as increasing
societal homophobia due to the AIDS epidemic.
In 1987, the Lavender Rhinoceros flag was raised at the Boston City Hall.
The 1988 parade was the first parade run by a formally incorporated Pride Committee,
which required pre-registration for groups marching in the parade. In 1993, the Pride
Committee changed the parade route, which would now run through the South End
community (an area of town which then constituted a significant lesbian and gay
population), and parade attendance exceeded 100,000.
Nineteen ninety-four marked the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Also in 1994,
prizes for best floats were awarded by the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) and local news
coverage noted the increased corporate sponsorship and corporate presence in the parade.
The “fun” versus “political” debate continued in coverage of the 1995 Pride week events.
The Lesbian Avengers instituted the first Boston “Dyke March” in 1995, stating that the
Pride parade had become too apolitical.
The next year (1996), the Lesbian Avengers received significant press after entering a bed
float, unregistered, into the parade behind the mounted police, at the parade’s end. The
Avengers’ simulations of sex acts upon the bed float outraged many, including the editor of
Bay Windows who wrote a scathing piece on the Lesbian Avengers. In turn, many
community members were outraged by what they felt was the overly negative press
coverage and Pride’s increasingly conservativism.
See the History Project’s, “Routes of Pride,” for more information about the history of Pride
in Boston, including a discussion of these community debates and controversies and
changing parade routes.
Currently, the Boston Pride Committee, Inc., runs many of the Pride Week events.
Since 1970, various groups have been in charge of the Pride march and surrounding event.
The History Project has documentation for some of the following committees: Eastern
Regional Conference of Homophiles Organization (see 1970), Gay Pride Committee (see
1974, 1975, ), Lavender Rhino, Inc. (see 1974, 1975, 1990), Lesbian & Gay Pride
Committee (see 1980), Pride Celebrations, Inc. (see 1982, 1988), Pride, Inc. (see 1994,
1995), and The Boston Pride Committee, Inc. (see 1998, 2000, 2001).
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Boston Pride Collection consists of papers (some originals and some photocopies),
photographs, and ephemera from 1970 to 2008 related to the Boston Pride March and Rally,
as well as materials from various celebrations and events during Pride week. The bulk of the
collection is news coverage surrounding Pride Week preparations, goals, controversies, and
summaries.
The collection is arranged by year, and then by series. Most years contain folders for the
following four series: Pride Week Guides, News Articles, Flyers/Pamphlets, and Images.
Other series, which occur in certain years, are Pride Week Committee Papers (with folder
titles stating the name of whichever committee was overseeing the Pride planning for that
3
�year), Speeches, Miscellaneous, Maps and Ephemera. The series entitled Pride Week Guides
may contain itineraries, programs, or calendars describing Pride week events. Many of these
folders also contain notes on Pride week events for that particular year. The News Articles
series may contain newspaper articles (originals and/or photocopies), journal and magazine
articles, and/or press releases. The Images series may contain original photographs,
photocopies, or enlarged photocopied images from newspapers.
The History Project has original slides and photographs for the following years: 1973-1975,
1977-1980, 1986-1987, 1990-1991, and 1997. The Flyers/Pamphlets series contains flyers,
pamphlets, bar or party cards, and religious service/interfaith service leaflets. The only
Speeches series included at present is from 1970 and contains the original manuscript to a
speech given at the Massachusetts State House by Laura McMurry.
Some years contain series folders for the committee that was overseeing the Parade for any
given year. These folders may contain correspondence, notes, forms and photocopies of
incorporation documents from the Secretary of State’s office. Also included are several 990
Federal Tax statements from some years.
There is a separate series for the Boston Dyke March, a separate march which has taken
place 1994, and on the Friday before the Pride march.
The collection is arranged by year, with further arrangement by series. Every year contains
a folder for Pride Week Guides and a folder for News Articles.
DESCRIPTION OF SERIES
Series I:
Pride Week Guides (itineraries, calendars, and/or programs to Pride
celebrations)
Series II:
News Articles (Includes writing from newspapers, press releases, journals,
and/or magazines, daily, monthly or quarterly)
Series III:
Flyers/Pamphlets (flyers, pamphlets, party cards, and/or religious
service/interfaith service leaflets)
Series IV:
Images (photographs, photocopies from newspapers)
Series V:
Pride Week Committee Papers (None of the folders will say actually say
“Pride Week Committee Papers.” Depending upon the year, these folders will
be labeled according to the name/s of the committees which were working or
co-working on planning and supervising the Pride Week festivities for a given
time: Eastern Regional Conference of Homophiles Organization (1970), Gay
Pride Committee (1974, 1975, ), Lavender Rhino, Inc. (1974, 1975, 1990),
Lesbian & Gay Pride Committee (1980), Pride Celebrations, Inc. (1982,
1988), Pride, Inc. (1994, 1995), or The Boston Pride Committee, Inc. (1998,
2000, 2001).
Series VI:
The History Project (1999: Gay Bar History Tour), (2000: Notes from
meetings regarding education/outreach, routes of pride parade, exhibits,
board member expectations), (2005: Certificate of Recognition to The History
Project, one of this year’s Grand Marshals for Pride).
4
�Series VII:
Speeches (1971 only)
Series VIII: Maps (mainly photocopies of parade routes)
Series IX:
Boston Dyke March
Series X:
Miscellaneous (1980: Stickers, 1999: Gay bar history Tour, 2001: Gay Pride
CD); Buttons (We have Pride buttons for the following years: 1974, 1979,
1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 (2), 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994,
1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2004. We do NOT have the button for 1996. We
have a button that was used in 1971, but not necessarily produced for Pride).
The slogans “Out of the closet and into the street,” “Come Out” and “Gay and
Proud” originated in the early 1970s and were often worn at Pride. We also
have these buttons.
SERIES AND FOLDER LIST
Series I:
Pride Week Guides
1970 Pride Week Guide
1971 Pride Week Guide
1972 Pride Week Guide
1973 Pride Week Guide
1974 Pride Week Guide
1975 Pride Week Guide
1976 Pride Week Guide
1977 Pride Week Guide
1978 Pride Week Guide
1979 Pride Week Guide
1980 Pride Week Guide
1981 Pride Week Guide
1982 Pride Week Guide
1983 Pride Week Guide
1984 Pride Week Guide
1985 Pride Week Guide
1986 Pride Week Guide
1987 Pride Week Guide
1988 Pride Week Guide
1989 Pride Week Guide
1990 Pride Week Guide
1991 Pride Week Guide
1992 Pride Week Guide
1993 Pride Week Guide
1994 Pride Week Guide
1995 Pride Week Guide
1996 Pride Week Guide
1997 Pride Week Guide
1998 Pride Week Guide
1999 Pride Week Guide
2000 Pride Week Guide
2001 Pride Week Guide
2002 Pride Week Guide
2003 Pride Week Guide
5
�2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Pride
Pride
Pride
Pride
Pride
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Guide
Guide
Guide
Guide
Guide
Series II:
News Articles
1970 News Articles
1971 News Articles
1972 News Articles
1973 News Articles
1974 News Articles
1975 News Articles
1976 News Articles
1977 News Articles
1978 News Articles
1979 News Articles
1980 News Articles
1981 News Articles
1982 News Articles
1983 News Articles
1984 News Articles
1985 News Articles
1986 News Articles
1987 News Articles
1988 News Articles
1989 News Articles
1990 News Articles
1991 News Articles
1992 News Articles
1993 News Articles
1994 News Articles
1995 News Articles
1996 News Articles
1997 News Articles
1998 News Articles
1999 News Articles
2000 News Articles
2001 News Articles (1 of 3)
2001 News Articles (2 of 3)
2001 News Articles (3 of 3)
2002 News Articles
2003 News Articles
2004 News Articles
2005 News Articles
2006 News Articles
Series III:
Flyers/Pamphlets
1971 Flyers/Pamphlets
1975 Flyers/Pamphlets
1981 Flyers/Pamphlets
1982 Flyers/Pamphlets
1983 Flyers/Pamphlets
6
�1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Flyers/Pamphlets
Series IV:
Images
Images – n.d.
1971 Images
1977 Images
1978 Images
1979 Images
1980 Images
1981 Images
1983 Images
1984 Images
1985 Images
1986 Images
1987 Images
1988 Images
1989 Images
1990 Images
1991 Images
1993 Images
1994 Images
1995 Images
1996 Images
1997 Images
1998 Images
Series V:
Pride Week Committee Papers
1970 News Articles
1970 Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations
1974 Gay Pride Committee
1974 Lavender Rhino, Inc.
1975 Gay Pride Committee
1975 Lavender Rhino, Inc.
1980 Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee
7
�1982
1988
1990
1993
1994
1995
1998
2000
2001
Pride Celebrations, Inc.
Pride Celebrations, Inc.
Lavender Rhino, Inc.
Pride Celebrations, Inc.
Pride, Inc.
Pride, Inc.
Boston Pride Committee, Inc.
Boston Pride Committee, Inc.
Boston Pride Committee, Inc.
Series VI:
The History Project
2000 The History Project
2001 The History Project – “Routes of Pride” map and notes
2005 The History Project – Certificate of Recognition
Series VII:
Speeches
1970 Speeches
Series VIII: Maps
1971 Maps
1972 Maps
1973 Maps
1975 Maps
1991 Maps
1992 Maps
1993 Maps
1995 Maps
Series IX:
Boston Dyke March
2001 Boston Dyke March
Series X:
Miscellaneous (Ephemera)
1980 Ephemera – Stickers
2001 Ephemera – “Gay Pride 2001 Sampler” CD
Pride Buttons (Images/Scans)
Related Publications
“Routes of Pride,” by The History Project
Relevant Websites:
http://bostonpride.org
Homepage for The Boston Pride Committee, INC. According to the website, this
committee “serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally
community, works to enhance the visibility of Boston's LGBT community through a
week of events each June, in conjunction with year long activities, to promote LGBT
awareness, dignity, and understanding.”
8
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
History Project Finding Aids and Collection Descriptions
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The History Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Email info@historyproject.org for information.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Coll. 006: Boston Pride Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The Boston Pride Collection consists of papers (some originals and some photocopies), photographs, and ephemera from 1970 to 2008 related to the Boston Pride March and Rally, as well as materials from various celebrations and events during Pride week. The bulk of the collection is news coverage surrounding Pride Week preparations, goals, controversies, and summaries.
The collection is arranged by year, and then by series. Most years contain folders for the following four series: Pride Week Guides, News Articles, Flyers/Pamphlets, and Images. Other series, which occur in certain years, are Pride Week Committee Papers (with folder titles stating the name of whichever committee was overseeing the Pride planning for that year), Speeches, Miscellaneous, Maps and Ephemera. The series entitled Pride Week Guides may contain itineraries, programs, or calendars describing Pride week events. Many of these folders also contain notes on Pride week events for that particular year. The News Articles series may contain newspaper articles (originals and/or photocopies), journal and magazine articles, and/or press releases. The Images series may contain original photographs, photocopies, or enlarged photocopied images from newspapers.
The History Project has original slides and photographs for the following years: 1973-1975, 1977-1980, 1986-1987, 1990-1991, and 1997. The Flyers/Pamphlets series contains flyers, pamphlets, bar or party cards, and religious service/interfaith service leaflets. The only Speeches series included at present is from 1970 and contains the original manuscript to a speech given at the Massachusetts State House by Laura McMurry.
Some years contain series folders for the committee that was overseeing the Parade for any given year. These folders may contain correspondence, notes, forms and photocopies of incorporation documents from the Secretary of State’s office. Also included are several 990 Federal Tax statements from some years.
There is a separate series for the Boston Dyke March, a separate march which has taken place 1994, and on the Friday before the Pride march.
The collection is arranged by year, with further arrangement by series. Every year contains a folder for Pride Week Guides and a folder for News Articles.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Email info@historyproject.org for information about rights, reproductions, etc.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-FA-006
Subject
The topic of the resource
Boston Pride
Boston Pride
finding aids
GLBT activism
marches