Chicago Pride Parades

1983

Gerber/Hart’s Pride Parade collection has two extended recordings and one shorter of the 1983 Chicago Pride Parade. The two extended recording contain footage of both the parade and the post-parade rally in Lincoln Park. You will notice in these recordings that the parade was composed of community organizations and bars and did not have corporate entries (it was not as expensive to put on).

The first video was filmed by someone who had a proclivity to record white men without shirts. You have to pay attention carefully to see women’s groups, African-American groups, and groups with a mixture of shirted males and females. This one was filmed on Clark just south of Diversey, across the street from the Golden Nugget. It includes a segment of the post-parade walk, which is where people who were onlookers from earlier in parade route would follow the end of the parade to the parade rally. The recording of the rally focuses more on the crowd than on the program.

The second video was filmed by someone who wanted to record a wider spectrum of the parade. It was recorded in Lincoln Park after the floats split from the pedestrians. The majority of the recording is of the rally and focused on the program on the stage. Long-time Parade Coordinator Richard Pfeiffer served as MC for the rally. Recorded are performances of the Chicago Gay Men’s Choir, Artemis Singers, Windy City Gay Chorus, and Good Shepard MCC Gospel Choir. Additionally the Executive Director of Howard Brown Memorial Clinic, Harley McMillen, gave a short speech on the AIDS pandemic as it was beginning its third year.

The third video is a shorter clip produced by Sam’s a bar, that was located on Clark just south of Diversey. It starts with the giving out of free “gay popcorn” to preparade bypassers. The person recording the tape seems to have been initially standing next to the person recording the first tape and then moved a little north. There is not recording of the rally. It includes the recently former Mayor Jane Byrne who gets extended applause at the rally in the second tape. The reduced quality of the recording seems to have more from being recorded from a degraded master that may have been frequently played in the bar. This recording was received on the same tape as the first recording, which has a better quality.

1985

Filmed going south on Broadway, mostly at Oakdale

1986

Parade filmed going south south on Clark just south of Diversey. Includes footage from rally at Lincoln Park Lagoon. Mayor Harold Washington addresses the rally.

1988

A short highlight clips of the parade; Filmed going south on Broadway at Oakdale

August 1989 (from The 10% Show)

Featuring interviews with Mayor Richard M. Daley, Rick Garcia and Laurie Dittman from the “Gang of Four” who helped pass the Human Rights Ordinance in the City of Chicago, 44^th Ward Alderman Bernie Hansen, 29th Ward Alderman Danny Davis, ACT-UP Chicago members at their float, and Al-Wardell of the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

1990 (from The 10% Show)

Contents: Coverage of the 1990 Chicago Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade, featuring the new route beginning on Halsted Street. Also featured are interviews with individuals at parade, the rally in Lincoln Park, and at Paris Dance and Roscoe’s.