Select S.R.V.A. Officials at the Washington Square Arch
[Photo by Patti Rene Stone]
New York, New York, Sunday, June 30, 1996 -- "Stonewall 27"
is the "27th Annual Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender ("G.L.B.T.") Pride Parade" in Manhattan, NYC.
Traditionally leading the parade is the STONEWALL Rebellion Veterans Association
("S.R.V.A.") with the famous 1969 "Stonewall Convertible". The day started out
with drizzling, a rarity for the blessed New York City
Gay Pride Parade,
however, thirteen minutes after the huge parade kicked-off on
Fifth
Avenue at noon, the rain almost miraculously stopped! The white
canvas ragtop on the blue 1969 "Stonewall Convertible" came
down.
The crowds cheered! Gay guys in blue parading with the S.R.V.A.
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.R.V.A. Spokesperson Queen
Allyson Allante, the big S.R.V.A. President Jeremiah Jay Newton, the little S.R.V.A. Secretary
Rusty B. Rose and the tough S.R.V.A. Ambassador Stormé DeLarverie. Not
shown above but walking behind the car, framing the S.R.V.A.
contingency, were SRVA-ers Leigh McManus, Wayne Herndon, Rose
Giordano, Dave West, Shelli Vannelli, Ramon Bellido, Jack Rojas, Tony Viera and many
Friends-of-SRVA.
Riding in the open convertible car (see other pix)
were Patti
Rene Stone
(up from Florida) and the S.R.V.A. Treasurer Terri Van Dyke (down from The
Bronx) and some special supportive performance guests from
the Imperial QUEENS & Kings of Greater New York
("IQKNY"). All of the arrangements and accomodations for the
entire S.R.V.A. in the parade and the downtown dinner afterwards were
incredibly and selflessly and generaously peformed by the SRVA's founder Willson Lee Henderson! Many Stonewall
veterans did not attend this
year -- 1996 -- due to the widespread predictions of heavy rain and
the actual 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 now historic 5-night 1969 Stonewall Rebellion. They
include, but are not limited to: Steven M. Konigsberg (from Queens), Eddie H.
Wright (from Colonia, NJ),
Aubrey Drummond (from Co-Op City), Arthur Fubler (from Mount Vernon, NY), Leroi Carr (from Crown Heights, Brooklyn), Richard Strahan (from the Jersey shore), Paul Greenwood (from Jamaica, WI), Vaughn
Fubler (younger brother of Arthur), Stanley Dunne (from The Boogie-down Bronx), and the greatly talented Ross
Holloway of Broadway musicals! The New York City
Police Department (NYCPD) 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 1969
"Stonewall Convertible".
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