Beginnings
One of the first documented lesbian pride marches in North America took place in May, 1981, in downtown Vancouver, B.C. Canada. The march, which attracted approximately 200 lesbians, was part of the Bi-National Lesbian Conference. In October, 1981, an organization called Lesbians Against the Right organized a second march in Toronto, Ontario.
The first nationwide Dyke March was held in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 1993. This event was planned by the Lesbian Avengers. Over 20,000 women marched. The large turnout can be attributed to the fact that the Dyke March coincided with March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. It was intended as a woman-only event, organized by the direct action Lesbian Avengers who encouraged gay and bisexual men, as well as other supporters, to cheer the marchers on, a tradition that continues to this day.
Read more about this topic: Dyke March
Famous quotes containing the word beginnings:
“The frantic search of five-year-olds for friends can thus be seen to forecast the beginnings of a basic shift in the parent-child relationship, a shift which will occur gradually over many long years, and in which a child needs not only the support of child allies engaged in the same struggle but also the understanding of his parents.”
—Dorothy H. Cohen (20th century)
“When the beginnings of self-destruction enter the heart it seems no bigger than a grain of sand.”
—John Cheever (1912–1982)
“[Many artists], even the greatest ones, are not sure of their own existence. So they search for proof, they judge, they condemn. It strengthens them, it is the beginnings of existence. They are alone!”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)