Archive Item #3: Twin Cities Pride Festival (pg. 33/146) (1976)
This artifact comes from a book, by Dick Hewetson, entitled “History of the Gay Movement in Minnesota and the Role of the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union.” The book itself is as complex and detailed as the title, providing heaps of information about gay culture and gay rights in Minnesota. The specific section I chose to highlight for this artifact deals with the creation of Minnesota’s first pride parade, in 1976. This was incredibly important historically because it meant a change in queer visibility, where gay individuals could be “out” and celebrated, rather than persecuted. I was especially struck by one detail: Flyers for the first pride parade were small enough that they could be folded in half and tossed in the event of a police raid. Reading the article provides perspective, to view just how far we, as a society, have come since the 1970’s in terms of queer acceptance.