It's worth while putting the Bristol, Rhode Island Fourth of July Parade into perspective, so that people reading the following reports can see why it was so important and so significant for the Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights to have a contingent in the Parade. Bristol is a small town (1980 Census says 20,000 inhabitants) at the end of a peninsula in Narragansett Bay. Its history goes back to colonial days, and you can see the beautiful houses from the eighteenth century, but the population is mostly more recent immigrants than that, with Portuguese, Italian, and French names heavily outnumbering the Yankee ones. The town has been unified over the years, however, by the central event of the Bristol calendar, the Fourth of July Parade. Beth Vorro, a member of our group and a native of Bristol who has served several times on the Parade Committee, says that for anyone from Bristol, the Parade is more important than Christmas, more important than Easter or Thanksgiving. If you're going to come home from outside Rhode Island only once a year, you do it for the festivities surrounding the Parade. The amount of work that the residents do in connection with the Parade is phenomenal. If the Fourth is bright and sunny, there will ordinarily be 200,000 people flooding into the town for the Parade: ten times the number of residents. The Parade needs to be well and carefully organized, and the folks in Bristol have the routine down pat. It's important to them for the Parade to run well: they don't like unpleasant surprises, and they won't let anybody spoil the fun. The rest of the state of Rhode Island looks on at the Parade and cheers, even if some do it from a distance: as predictable as the events may be, the Providence Journal gives the Parade a big play every July. - JDL - in which plans are laid for participation in the Bristol Parade - (written the day before) - - The idea started in April, after the NY and Boston St. Patrick's Day parades. The RI Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights decided that the Bristol Fourth of July Parade was ready for its first openly queer contingent. - Now for the non-Rhode Islanders, the Bristol Fourth of July parade is the longest continuously held Fourth of July celebration in the nation, with the 207th parade scheduled for Saturday. Bristol takes this event -very- -seriously-. The town council appoints the parade committee, and there are incredible petty, personal politics involved in who gets what position on the committee, etc. - Actually, we had misgivings about participating. Julie Pell shook her head and said "All my life I've been trying to get out of the Bristol Parade. And now we're trying to get in!" Behold the hazards of having a politician for a father. - At this point Michael Merolla took charge of the project and contacted the parade committee. The committee wanted pledges that we wouldn't be throwing anything (i.e. condoms) and that there would be no outrageous costumes (i.e. drag queens, etc.). Michael got a lot of warm fuzzy assurances but no application. It wasn't until President (and lawyer) Chris Burke sent a sternly worded letter that the invitation was issued; a float was acceptable, but no marchers because of security issues. - Rather than press the march vs. float issue, Michael spent a lot of time organizing the effort to put together a float. Decorations were made, sensitivity training was arranged, since we assumed there might be trouble. Michael got a reference from the parade committee for a truck company that would supply the flat bed truck for the float. Nine days before the parade, the truck backed out. - Michael spent an eternity on the phone to over 25 other trucking companies to arrange a truck, but to no avail. The Fourth of July IS a holiday. We called the parade committee explaining the situation. We're still looking for a truck, but if we cannot locate one, can we march? The committees response: no way. - The security issue turned out to be a smokescreen. In offering to march we suggested hiring our own security, only to be told that security was not the reason they wanted us on a float. They would not say why they wanted us on the float. Later we found out that only "patriotic" groups are allowed to march. These include such worthies as the PTA and the Knights of Columbus. Now, - who's- showing up at the parade in drag? - The sensitivity training was held Wednesday 1 July. A total of 28 people participated. Michael reported that, as of then, we did not have a truck, and the parade committee was adamant that we would not be allowed to march. Michael had notified the local paper, the Providence Journal, and one of the local TV stations and given them exclusives. The crew from Channel 12 was there to film all the would-be participants and the float decorations. The station carried the story that evening at 11 pm as their lead story giving a full 5 minutes, with a script that was as good as anything we could've written. The Providence Journal also reported the story in the next morning's papers with a well balanced story. - Immediately after the sensitivity training on 1 July, the Board of Directors of the Alliance met to discuss our options. The consensus was that we deliver the following ultimatum to the parade committee--- Although we are still seeking a truck, we ask permission to march if we are unable to secure one. If you have not replied to us in the affirmative by noon, we will seek a restraining order in federal court. - The next day, 2 July, was a bit of a media circus. All the news outlets had picked up the story, and it was the subject of a lot of the talk radio shows. On one of the shows, Michael Merolla and Julie Pell were guests, and received offers for trucks as a result of the publicity. After examining the trucks, one was acceptable although smaller that the original. We have to downsize our displays slightly. - That is how things stand now, 3 July. A few editorial comments: 1) We think we were set up by the committee or committee members with the trucking company. We have no proof, but things are a bit too convenient. Combined with the float requirement, the loss of the truck would've knocked us out of the parade from their perspective. We, however, were ready to sue at the drop of a hat to guarantee our place in the parade. 2) There is likely a divergence of opinions in the parade committee itself. 3) They lied to us about security - i.e. why we had to be up on a float. 4) We find it incredible that the parade committee has set itself up as arbiters of what constitutes a patriotic organization. We've spent the past eight years trying to talk sense into our legislature and work within the system. If that doesn't represent a commitment to our representative democracy and patriotism, what the hell does?! - So first thing tomorrow morning we're off to Bristol, to demonstrate to the good people of town of Bristol and the state of Rhode Island, We're here, we're queer, we're patriotic, get used to it! - - MTK - in which the Float is prepared and receives an unexpected prize Well, we all met at 5:45 AM on Saturday the Fourth, in front of the Rhode Island State House in Providence. At 6:00 our chartered bus arrived, and we piled on, along with the makings of the decorations that would go on our float. We would meet our donated truck in Bristol, some twenty miles to the south. The truck was described by Chris Burke as the kind of vehicle you'd use for shipping watermelons in: it has removable wooden panels about four feet high that were perfect for attaching our decorations to. Here's what Glenn Klein, our artistic director, decided on for the float: the sides of the truck would be completely covered by four-foot high panels of vinyl, and they would be painted with wide red white and blue waves that looked like a part of the flag in the breeze. On one side were written the words "We the People..." and on the other, "... with Liberty and Justice for All". Below these, on both sides, the full name of our organization, "RI Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights". On the rear panel, just the red white and blue waves, and the organization name. We all had matching T-shirts, a single star in red white and blue, again the name of the organization above and the words "Bristol 207th Fourth of July Parade" below. Some of us would be standing on the floor of the truck, some standing higher on an 8" platform, and a few on a yet-higher platform looking forward, over the cab. One of our Lesbian members was to be in front dolled up as Statue of Liberty, crown and torch and all, while about half the rest of us would hold big stars, again red white and blue, with a word of description: "lawyer", "social worker", "teacher", "Episcopal priest", "taxpayer", "mother", "sister", "brother", "nurse". The weather was bad: cold and drizzly, sometimes raw and rainy. We got to Bristol, were directed to the place where our truck was to be decorated, and waited for Tom Ricci to arrive. He's an independent candidate for the congressional seat for the Second District, and you could say that he was getting a lot of free publicity for donating his truck in a pinch to the Alliance. But we've heard that he has some close relatives that are gay, and we believe that he was giving us a hand as much out of conviction as out of a desire for headlines. He and his brother showed up on time with the truck, and we got to work immediately decorating it. While we were busy, a lot of people from other floats and marching groups found out where we were and came over to wish us well. Some of them were already wearing their pink triangle, and some asked us if we had any they could pin on. As the orange panels of the truck got covered over with our vinyl decorations, people who had seen us from a distance began telling us how great the truck was looking. Not long after the truck was fully decorated, members of the Parade Committee came by telling us that the judges would be showing up soon. In the Bristol Parade, floats are judged and prizes are awarded beforehand, so that everybody that gets a prize can display a placard on the float that tells what prize was awarded. The idea is that people watching the Parade can applaud the prizes as the winning floats approach. We had fantasies about winning a prize, but none of us was counting on it in any serious way. The judges came and went, and we were getting wetter and wetter. We built a leanto of vinyl sheeting to stand under to try to keep dry, and posted two or three folks on the other side of the truck on the off chance that somebody might come by and try to vandalize our decorations. I wouldn't say that we were discouraged when it happened, but we sure were subdued, when the guards started shouting. The judges had come back, and we had gotten THIRD PLACE in the category "MOST PATRIOTIC - NONCOMMERCIAL". MOST PATRIOTIC was all we could see or think about: in view of the organizing committee's having forbidden us to march because we were not deemed to be a "patriotic group", the irony and the vindication overwhelmed us. We hooted, we screamed, we leapt, and we danced. Let it rain as it will, blow ye winds your hardest, WE'RE READY FOR THE PARADE. - JDL - in which we face the crowds and the crowds face us The Parade stepped off at 10:30, and we were placed in the last division. This meant that we had about two hours' wait before our truck began to move. We had lashed the big placard saying "3rd Prize - MOST PATRIOTIC" to the front of the truck, knowing that it would deflect at least some of the negative vibes of the crowd. We had no real idea what we were going to be going through on the Parade route. We knew that there were estimated to be "only" 100,000 people there because of the bad weather, and we counted ourselves lucky that the crowds would be smaller and less likely to be hotile. Beth Vorro, the Bristol native who was riding with us carrying a "lawyer" star, explained that there are two places on the Parade route that are notorious for rowdy behavior and violent incidents. They're by the water, where it's a nice place to hang out and drink beer. "If we can get by those without any trouble, we'll have it made." At around 12:15 the truck started to move, and at our leisurely parade pace, we approached the beginning of the route, on Hope Street. I took it as a good omen that Linda and Denise, two women who are longtime and steady supporters of the Alliance, were right there at the start of the Parade route to cheer us on. There was the complete range of reactions to our presence: there were some jeers, some downturned thumbs, some teenagers ran after us shouting nasties at us. But overwhelmingly, the reaction was positive: "It's about time you got here!", or "You belong in this parade!" or simply lots and lots of cheering. You could easily stress the negative occurrences that we experienced on the parade route. We did get some eggs thrown in our direction, and one woman among us was hit by a bagel. Somebody tried to squirt us with a Super-Soaker, but was run off quickly by one of the marshals. But in a sea of relatively good will, those few things sank in importance. After we realized that we weren't going to be running a gauntlet of of rejection and hate, then we could start appreciating the amusing reactions that some people had. Remember that our truck had on the front the placard that announced that we had won a prize in the MOST PATRIOTIC category. People applauded us politely as we drove up to them, and then when we got broadside of them, they could read those magical words L e s b i a n a n d G a y . Some reacted with surprise and delight, others with disapproval, like the lady sitting properly in her lawnchair, her head covered demurely by a floppy white hat. Applauded wildly as we approached, and then when she read L&G, suddenly stopped clapping and said "That was a mistake!" Then there were a couple of times that we saw a guy shout something rude and his wife would put her hand in front of his mouth. Or the fundie woman who got her kid to shout "read your Bible!" - particularly amusing when we had a priest right with us, wearing his clerical collar sticking out from the Alliance T-shirt. And that's how it went: a far more positive reception than we expected, but not all sweetness and light. When we got safely back into our bus, we shouted and screamed again, and collapsed in relief. I still get a drained feeling when I think over the events of the day, and can't go into things more deeply. But my partner Mark King composed an account of his feelings before, during, and after the Parade that will be the last installment of our posting. - JDL I don't remember exactly when I volunteered to be on this float, somehow I had always assumed that I would be there. Volunteering should not be interpreted as enthusiasm. I was afraid. - For starters, I had seen what happened at the Boston St. Patrick's Day parade. We were told of the drinking and rowdiness that occurs in Bristol at their parade. The thing that I feared most was the hostility and confrontations that I imagined that we would face. When the Alliance ran into trouble getting a truck, I was almost relieved, hoping that I didn't have to face my fears. - At the training session, a lot of other people expressed fears that even exceeded mine. My fears stood out during the "Spectrum" exercise, where people stood along a semi-circle indicated their feeling about a given question. On one question, "Are you afraid to participate in the parade?", I stood with one other person on the end indicating "yes, I am afraid", while the majority of others stood close to the center of the spectrum with a fair number of individuals at the "no" end of the spectrum. When the question was "Are you afraid of what might happen during the parade?" the two of us had a lot of company. At the end of the session we each shared our commitment to the group. Mine was to overcome my fears and to be visible. Although the training had assuaged some of my fears, I was still uneasy about the participating. But when I was asked if I would step aside, due to the reduced size of the truck, I discovered that I wanted very much to participate. - We met at the State House in a light drizzle that morning. There was a lot of joking and camaraderie among the participants to ease my tension, and by the time we reached Bristol, I wasn't really worried. Mr. Ricci arrived with the truck on time and the Parade Committee officials were cordial and even friendly. We hopped onto the truck three times for the judging, although the last one was merely for compliance. Many people from other floats dropped by to say hello and wish us luck. A number of people donated their pink triangle buttons to the other "floaters" for solidarity. The drizzle and mist thickened and we rigged a lean-to between the truck and a fence to provide shelter for the group. We talked among ourselves trying to keep the rain from dampening our spirits. Then someone said, "They're handing out awards!" The next thing you know, one of the parade marshals hands us a poster announcing "Third Place, Most Patriotic". You would've thought we'd won the Nobel Prize or something. We jumped up and down, we yelled, we laughed, we hugged, and we took plenty of photos. In a profound way, that award said, "we belong." - The parade started for us a little after noontime, when we pulled out of the float staging area and merged with the marching units. I remember thinking that if there is something that seems more weird than standing on a truck, riding slowly down a street, waving at a sea of people, I have yet to find it. I can only imagine what your average beauty queen feels when she sits in the back of a convertible during one of these events. We hadn't made it up to the corner before we had the first obnoxious remarks from some guy in the crowd, but he had been preceded by at least dozen or more people clapping and giving the thumbs-up sign. That was a pretty good indicator of how the rest of the parade went. For every obnoxious, snotty, or "religious" remark or gesture, there were ten gestures of acceptance or enthusiasm. - Unfortunately, the negative gestures were slowly getting to me. I noticed that about halfway through the parade my knees seemed weak, that I was tense, and that I wished the parade was over. I suppose the knees could've been a result of so much standing around, and then maintaining one's balance on the truck, but I don't think so. I tried to keep my focus on the forward direction. Due to the placement of the award placard and the float decorations, the audience first saw the award placard and started clapping and cheering. Watching the reaction, when they read the banner announcing our identity, was a fascinating study in human nature. The average individual would be clapping, pause as s/he realized who we were, and then would continue clapping in the majority of cases. Many of them would chuckle or smile at the irony of the situation as they resumed their applause. A few would stop clapping and scowl at us as if we had tricked them, but even more would start cheering and clapping with more enthusiasm. - At the waterfront bars, the forethought that the police and the parade committee had put into our protection became evident. There was a sea of orange police rain coats that I could see from the position where they had stopped our float. The parade marshals were letting the unit ahead of us get by the "danger zone". Once the way was clear, we zipped by the bars, waving and smiling as we had done elsewhere, only at 35 mph. There were only a few direct assaults on us by hurled objects. All the eggs missed or were batted down by Beth or Glenn, however we did take a direct hit with the bagel. All our would-be assailants turned and ran. The guy who came after us with the supercharged squirt gun, was run off the parade route by one of the parade marshals. - Finally as we approached the reviewing stand, we passed a house that had people packed from the curb, across the lawn, up the front steps, on the front porch, and out the second story windows. Whether by luck or fate we stopped there. The cheer that went up was amazing. All those people cheering gave us the boost we needed as we came to the reviewing stand. I didn't see anybody I recognized, but I doffed my hat the folks standing there, including that rather severe looking woman with the hat. And then it was over, almost. - We had a few more things thrown at us by some teenagers who ran away immediately after throwing their projectiles. I remember wondering if one or more of those kids were gay and still struggling with the issue; and they were angry at us for bringing the issue home to them. But a great deal of support did come from young people all along the parade route. - We got to the bus and undecorated and unloaded the truck. We gave three cheers to Mr. Ricci and his brother who rode "shotgun". We hopped onto the bus and we were on our way home. The first thing I did was collect a hug from Jonathan. I was feeling distinctly "un-elated", and it was confusing to me because I had expected a feeling of exhilaration once the ordeal was over. It never came. In its place was a certain amount of depression, relief, and simple fatigue. When we got back to the car, all I wanted was dry socks and a nap. - We had a cook-out (well, cook-in actually) later that day. We all reconvened with dry clothes and were joined by our supporters and friends. It occurred to me that one of the things that had been bothering be is that I had never been subjected to the kind of invective that I received at the parade. Either I have been very sheltered or very fortunate, but I've never faced that sort of unreasoning hatred, the sort that hates you merely for being and does not even recognize your humanity. Intellectually I was aware of it, but I had never experienced it first hand. Realizing that, my mood lifted to mere exhaustion. - Looking back, I am glad I participated in this, although I currently view it as somewhat of an ordeal. Today, I don't know if I would want to do it again or not. Although it was an ordeal, it was important for me to be there; for my friends and loved ones who were on the float, for those who weren't, and for the lesbigay community as a whole. - To make an analogy: as individual gay people come out to friends, family, and coworkers, the lesbian and gay community and organizations have to "come out", participating and contributing to the greater population surrounding us. To me, the Fourth of July parade was just one step in that direction. - - Mark T. King 5 July 1992