For The Record – Part 1

Yeah, I am out. And I have the documentation to prove it. 🙂

It’s the day after Sacrament’s first Gay Pride event and I’m sitting at the table eating breakfast and reading the Sacramento Union newspaper.

Turned to page 2 and found this next to the weather. SURPRISE!

Sacramento’s gays parade with pride

Sacramento gays and lesbians paraded out of the closet Saturday evening, and although marchers outnumbered spectators, organizers called it a success.

Motorcycle police cleared the way as more than 200 marched thru the “Lavendar Heights” section of downtown to mark the gay community’s fifth* annual Freedom Day Celebration.

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“I’m gay, I’m out and I’m proud of it”, shouted Chris Daley to kick off the rally from a flatbed truck parked across 20th Street near L.

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Thought the mood was light, some messages were serious. A few people carried placards advocating passage of gay rights and AIDS research bills.

view the complete article here

Sunday, June 19, 1983 issue of the Sacramento Union, page B-2

* the reporter got the number wrong. AFAIK, this was the first Sacramento Pride celebration.

If any of the people at work saw it, they never mentioned it to me. By 1983, things were getting better, but it was still not always safe to be out.