Today in History: 1972, Dallas’ First Gay Pride Parade

Jun 24, 2013
Gay Media & Press Network

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DMN Gay Pride Parade 300x200 Today in History: 1972, Dallas First Gay Pride Parade

1972 Gay Pride Parade, via Dallas Morning News

The Dallas Morning News posted a “Today in Dallas photo history” article Monday. It includes a photo of the first gay pride parade on June 24, 1972 through Downtown Dallas. If you click through to read the full story, you get a great first-hand account of this little piece of Dallas LGBT history.

From the 1972 article “Gays March Proudly” by Marc Bernabo:

“Downtown Dallas has seen a lot of parades celebrating a lot of things, but never anything before like Saturday morning’s march for homosexual liberation.”

According to the article, the march included about 130 marchers. It included marchers from Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Iowa.

There weren’t any fights, but one protestor did get a lot of attention:

“Drawing the most response from the spectators was a grandmotherly-looking woman, Mrs. Addie Barlow Frazier, marching last and having a hard time keeping up.

‘God’s Word Demands Legal Execution of Homosexuals,’ proclaimed a sign she carried. The crowd cheered her on as she walked the whole 2-mile route.”

This came years before the first official gay pride parade in Dallas in 1980, which was later moved to September in 1983. However, it is the first time the LGBT community gathered to march for acceptance equal rights, and it happened 41 years ago today.

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