Back To The Future
The first CSW Pride parade in L.A. was considered a protest march, as well as a celebration.
Christopher Street West (CSW) is named after New York City’s famed Christopher Street, the June 1969 site of the Stonewall Rebellion.
The CSW parade was started in June 1970 the year following the Stonewall Riot, by a number of Los Angeles’ gay activists, prominent among them Morris Kight, Reverend Troy Perry, and Bob Humphries.
The first parade traveled east on Hollywood Boulevard starting from McCadden Place in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.
The Advocate reported at the time that «over 1,000 homosexuals and their friends staged, not just a protest march, but a full blown parade down world-famous Hollywood Boulevard.”
Although one of several gay pride parades that took place that day around the United States, this was the only “street closing” gay pride parade held in 1970—something emulated by the other parades the following year.
After several troubled years (no parade was held in 1973), the CSW parade returned in 1974, and originated yet another feature of the modern gay pride movement by adding a festival to its annual event.
This year, instead of a parade, the LGBTQ community and its allies will march to ensure our collective futures. The #Resist march will be taking place in solidarity with and on the same day as the National Equality March for Unity and Pride in Washington DC.
The #ResistMarch takes place on Sunday, June 11, 8am-1pm, at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland. For more info visit www.resistmarch.org.
