Some S.V.A. Officials at the Washington Square Arch
[Photo by Electra O'Mara]
New York, New York, Sunday, June 30, 1996 -- "Stonewall 27"
is the 27th annual Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender ("GLBT")
Pride Parade in Manhattan. It started out
with drizzling, a rarity for the blessed New York City
Gay Parade,
however, thirteen minutes after the huge parade kicked-off on
Fifth
Avenue at noon, the rain almost miraculously stopped! The white
canvas convertible top on the blue 1969 Cadillac "Stonewall Car" came
down.
The crowds cheered! Some of our accompanying STONEWALL Veterans' Association ("S.V.A.") boys
wiped down the wet blue car with dry blue towels. The crowds
roared!
Walking
ahead of the car (its front left fender partially visible in the lower
right corner of the photo above) are (l-2-r): S.V.A. Director
Queen
Allyson Allante, S.V.A. President Jeremiah Newton, S.V.A. Secretary
Rusti Rose and S.V.A. Ambassador Stormé DeLarverie. Not
shown above but walking behind the car, framing the S.V.A.
contingency, were SVA-ers Leigh McManus, Wayne Herndon, Rose
Giordano, Dave West, Shelli Vannelli, Jack Rojas and many Friends-of-SVA.
Riding in the open convertible car (see other pix)
were Patti
Stone
(up from Florida) and S.V.A. Treasurer Terri Van Dyke (in from The
Bronx) and some special supportive performance guests from
the Imperial Queens of New York ("IQKNY"). Many Stonewall
veterans did not attend this
year -- 1996 -- due to the widespread predictions of rain and the light
rain when they woke up Remember, even the 1969 Stonewall
Rebellion was postponed two nights because of rain!
The huge "We Remember" banner at Washington Square Park refers
to all of those lost to the A.I.D.S. War, which includes endless veterans
of the 5-night 1969 Stonewall Rebellion. The New York City
Police Department horse (pictured on the right in the photo above)
with the armed, helmeted and mounted policeman conjured up ambivalent
memories for the Stonewall Veterans: "We Remember The Stonewall
Rebellion".
Ironically, many 'men-in-blue' of the NYCPD had their own cameras
and were quickly taking their own pictures of the very familiar blue
"Stonewall Car'.
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