UNCLE DONALD presents The GAY FREEDOM DAY PARADE and CELEBRATION PAGE 2 T H E . .B O Y S . .O F THE GAY PARADES OF THE SEVENTIES CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE THE FULL SIZE PICTURE WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT, FAGGOT? Ever have some dumb but beautiful jock catch you looking at him and say that to you? I have. But I wasn't drooling. I was admiring fine art. Why couldn't he take it as a compliment? After all, he wouldn't have been flexing and strutting if he wasn't looking for attention. Well, I think most of us who went to the early gay parades were delighted to find a fresh new attitude about such things in the unique gay community which was developing in San Francisco. The rules changed overnight. Unabashed sexual expression was not only tolerated; it was encouraged, and it was perfectly fine to shamelessly admire, enjoy, drool, lust, or whatever. The exhibitionist and voyeur both came out of the closet and a good time was had by all. That was one reason why the gay parades were immensely popular. The air was charged with erotic energy. If you wanted to stand on a pedestal and show off, somebody would be quite happy to be your audience, and nobody would complain. It wasn't like people were fucking in the streets. It was just that being sexual was no longer reason for shame or guilt. We were sexual beings and didn't try to hide it. Leaving the top button of your Levi 501's undone; letting some skin show through a hole or rip; or displaying an obvious bulge in your tight jeans; they were all fashionable. The men with the bulges, the bulge admirers, and Levi Strauss were all happy. If you're not overly picky, chances are that at a gay parade there will be 10,000 guys who look good to you. 1,000 of them would get you excited. So it's almost guaranteed that 25 guys in and at the parade would be "to die for"! It was the proverbial kid in the candy store, where the candy came in erotic flavors; the all day sucker to please any taste! And the entertainment was free, "live and in color". Look at the guys in my pictures. They're mostly smiling for the camera, waving, or in some way showing that they enjoy showing off and they like the attention. I've been to most of the gay parades in San Francisco and I don't think I was ever bored or wished that I had done something else instead. I hope that my pictures express what a fun time it was at the GAY PARADES OF THE SEVENTIES. TO THE PARADE BOYS - PAGE 3 BACK TO PARADE INDEX BACK TO CASTRO STREET This page created June 1,2000 and modified June 2, 2000 • Text and Graphics © 1972 - 2000 • UD Graphics • San Francisco • Permission to copy images is granted only for non-commercial, non-profit use.