NewsPlanet Staff
Monday, June 29, 1998 / 04:35 PM
SUMMARY: At Stonewall's ground zero, critics of New York's mayor tried to prevent his parading with the prideful -- who some say numbered 2 million!
In the home of the Stonewall Rebellion, whose anniversary pride celebrations mark, the 29th Annual Gay and Lesbian Pride March strutted down Fifth Avenue to historic Greenwich Village on June 28. Although organizers estimated a total of 600,000 marchers and spectators, estimates ranged as high as two million. Seventeen gay and three lesbian protestors wearing "Rudy get out of our parade" T-shirts were arrested for disorderly conduct after chaining themselves together across the boulevard in an effort to block Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani from participating. They stopped him for all of about 10 seconds before he simply went around them on the sidewalk.
Although many gays and lesbians have applauded Giuliani's introduction of a landmark bill passed by the City Council last week to give registered domestic partners the same city benefits, rights and responsibilities as legally married couples, the demonstrators feel he's failed to respond effectively to homophobic violence, not done enough to improve AIDS education in the schools, and erred in his efforts to close down "adult" businesses. Giuliani had proclaimed "Out in Government Day" in a City Hall ceremony on June 22.
Under the theme "Unity Through Diversity," lesbian and gay motorcyclists led off the parade, variously estimated from 100 to more than 200, followed by more than 300 other units. The grand marshals were openly gay City Councilmember Philip Reed and openly lebian City Councilmember Margarita Lopez; other politicians participating included the city's public advocate and U.S. Senate hopeful Mark Green, and Lieutenant Governor and gubernatorial hopeful Betsy McCaughey Ross. Also marching were Jon and Michael Galluccio, the men who won unmarried couples the right to adopt children together in New Jersey. Members of a lesbian S-M group bared their breasts. The parade ended with a street festival at Pier 54.