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Joe Altman Photographs of the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parades

Owning Institution: California Historical Society

About this Collection

Collection contains 77 black and white, gelatin silver print photographs of the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade (1979-1980) and the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Freedom Day Parade (1981-1985) taken by Joe Altman between 1979 and 1985. Collection also contains 69 contact sheets; 12 photocopies of contact sheets. Contact sheets were printed for every year between 1979 and 1985, but not all photographs represented in the contact sheets were included in this collection. Bulk of the photographic prints cover the 1979 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. The photographs of the 1979 parade show gay organizations participating in the parade including the Gay Atheist League; Sha'ar Zahav, a gay synagogue; Gay Latino Alliance; Society of Janus; gay members of the Libertarian Party; Harvey Milk Gay Democratic Club; San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching and Twirling Corps; Lesbian/Gay Cause of Butte County; Community United Against Violence; Golden Gate Business Association; Los Angeles Gay Freedom Band; National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights contingent; Gay People's Union at Stanford; Straights for Gay Rights; Gays Against Nuclear Power; Ministers for Human Rights; Dykes on Bikes; and the San Francisco Lesbian Mothers. Floats representing the following gay businesses are represented: Boot Rack; The Watergarden Baths; Blue Front Dely; Bulldog Baths; Club Bath Chain; I-Beam; DeLuxe Bar; and the Trocadero Transfer (represented in a float from the 1982 parade). Individuals identified in the 1979 parade photographs include: Guy Corry; Mr. National Gay Rodeo, 1979; George Bosque; Bob Ross of the Bay Area Reporter; Harry Britt; Leonard Matlovich; Ed Paulson, Mr. Gay Muscular Dystrophy; and Tim Phillips. View this collection on the contributor's website.
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77 items found in this collection

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Banner reads: "One Struggle - Many Fronts! Support the Struggle for the ...
Bikers on Market St. in front of the Crocker Bank
Blue Front Dely float on Market St
Bob Ross of the Bay Area Reporter and "Ginger," Emperor and Empress ...
Bob Stein bearing Sha'ar Zahav, gay synagogue banner, Market St
Bob Stein, Sha'ar Zahav, gay synagogue
Boot Rack float: a giant boot (San Jose)
Bulldog Baths float, Market St
"Buttons"
Carnival outside of San Francisco City Hall
Celebrants in gowns
Civic Center Celebrants
Civic Center crowd, banner reads: "Gay American Indians"
Clown in back of Volkswagen Bug convertible, sign reads: "Boom-Boom for Soup"
Clowns
Club Bath Chain San Francisco float in Civic Center
Community United Against Violence contingent
Community United Against Violence contingent on Market St
Costumed celebrants in front of City Hall
Costumed parade goers ride in car with sign reading "Moral Majority"
"Creative Award" winning women's float, Market St
Crowd facing the main stage, Civic Center
Crowd gathered outside San Francisco City Hall
Dancer with I-Beam Float, Market St
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