The Beginnings of Pride: Standing up, Speaking Out and Organizing

The initial steps of standing up for gay and lesbian rights began with the editorial by Patch Adams and continued with the rapid mobilization of the community in Richmond. There were a number of movements that were the underpinnings of the gay rights movement. The women’s movement and the sexual revolution were picking up steam and the national attention to the Stonewall may have had some effect, but there is no written support for that. The local issues surrounding harassment on “the Block” and the closing of several bars/restaurants because of the Virginia ABC regulations were probably truly the impetus behind the initial organization in Richmond; this account includes a relatively extensive, but by no means comprehensive, and mostly chronological overview of what was happening in Richmond in the decade or so immediately following Stonewall, or at least things that were documented or that have been verbally reported. It would be difficult to be truly comprehensive; entire books could be written about the era even in Richmond, but an attempt has been made to capture the major events and the sense of excitement that existed.

Making Connections: Written Materials

As the community developed there was an increasing need and desire to be able to know what was happening within the community. The Richmond Lesbian Feminists developed their own newsletter “The Feminist Flyer” and GAP produced the GAP Rap. In addition, a more comprehensive “real” paper also began. “Our Own” Community News began in July 1976, started by the Unitarian Universalist Gay Caucus of the Unitarian Church in Norfolk, Virginia. Starting as a mimeographed sheet, it became a statewide publication within a year, by 1977. Eventually Our Own became independent of the UUGC. Our Own published until August 1998, and was one of the oldest existing LGBTQ newspapers when it stopped publishing. Our Own is a primary source of information about events and activities in the era it was published.

The women in Richmond would have a national impact on organizations and on policy decisions. One major event on the women’s rights front was the International Women’s Year. President Jimmy Carter convened the National Women’s Conference of 1977 with Executive Order No. 11979, consequently, states also held individual conferences. Women of RLF were vital to the process locally and ultimately worked cooperatively with other state groups and national organizations to make sure lesbian issues were part of the process. Beth Marschak worked with Bessida White, an African American lawyer who had worked hand and hand with RLF, to make sure that lesbian rights were included in the Virginia International Women’s Year meeting. Marschak worked very strategically to make sure that lesbians were included in the process and ultimately lesbian resolutions were included as part of the Virginia platform.

Strategically, Marschak had worked with Jean O’Leary of the NGTF, and a member of the Commission for the Observance of the International Women’s Year to craft 3 resolutions: a general anti discrimination resolution, one focusing on child custody and one that called for the repeal of the sodomy statute. The group agreed easily on the first two and eventually agreed with the last, despite the view that the sodomy statute really being a gay men’s issue. Marschak was then elected as a Virginia representative to the International Women’s Year Convention in Dallas, TX. Two other representatives of the Richmond lesbian community also attended; Barbara Weinstock attended as a board member of the NGTF and Janet Kramer was a member of RLF that also attended. The three RLF members who attended were important in making the lesbian voice heard on a national level. (Suzanne Shepherd, Master’s Thesis: “Dignity, Recognition and Equality: Lesbian Feminists in Richmond, VA 1974 – 1979, 2007)

While women all over the United States were joining together to make a positive difference in the lives of women, including lesbians, another woman’s impact was also being felt throughout the United States. In June 1977, Anita Bryant successfully campaigned to repeal the gay rights provision within the anti-discrimination human rights ordinance in Dade County, Florida. Her organization “Save the Children” was based on her beliefs in the sinfulness of homosexuality and the threat of homosexual recruitment of children. The day after the repeal, Bryant sang in Norfolk, and was met by protesters including people from Richmond and Norfolk. Bryant’s campaign was publicized nationally and her visits to Virginia spurned Richmond citizens to action. Following the June protest, several organizations began meeting in Richmond.

On October 8, 1977, Bryant performed at the Robbins Center at the University of Richmond, sponsored by the University of Richmond and the First Baptist Church. Instead of staging a formal protest, most of the Richmond LGBTQ community chose to respond with a positive self affirming action: the city’s first organized Gay Pride Rally was held at Monroe Park on the campus of VCU. The keynote was given by author and activist Karla Jay. The rally participants capped off the event with a reception at the Pace Memorial United Methodist Church and a dance at the Sheraton. In a conversation with Beth Marschak, she emphasized that the coalition of groups that had come together, including RLF, wanted to focus on a positive message to counter Bryant’s message and not focus on Bryant herself.

Although the primary response of the community was the rally, several members of the community did attend the performance and confronted Bryant at the UR concert. Neil Parsons and Bruce Garnett confronted Bryant. Parsons told Bryant how she was hurting gay people and Garnett argued religion and the bible. Their words must have made an impression because Bryant was later to mention the incident in an interview with Playboy. In a conversation with Neal, he noted that his response to the comments made by Bryant was also published in Playboy; he had responded with a letter to the editor because Bryant’s recollections of the event twisted what he and Garnett had said. Weeks after the confrontation, October, 22, 1977, Parsons and Garnett, along with Tony Segura, continued their activism, helping to form the Richmond Gay Rights Association (GRA). The organization formed to “formulate action programs aimed at the repeal enactment and modification of laws and ordinances affecting the gay and lesbian community and to formulate educational and cultural programs to promote the general community welfare.” Specifically, the group protested perceived entrapment of gays by local area police vice squads, spoke in support of adding sexual orientation to the Richmond Human Rights Ordinance. Meetings were held at 1406 Floyd Avenue two times a month.

The City of Richmond passed a solicitation law in 1975. By the 1975 law, “police can arrest anyone for soliciting sex by ‘word, sign or gesture’ or through any lewd, lascivious and indecent act.” The April 1978 edition of Our Own (Vol 2, #9) reported Richmond citizens harassed for solicitation on “The Block,” the gay male cruising area. The law was designed to reign in local massage parlors, but by 1978 was increasingly used by the police to arrest gay men for solicitation, following an increase in vice squad patrols. The GRA wanted to specifically to protest the perceived entrapment of gays by the local police vice squads.

In addition to the GRA another group formed partially in response to Bryant and the atmosphere of fear and hate that Bryant’s campaign engendered, the Virginia Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights formed in February 1978. The board consisted for 8 men and 8 women from across the state with Richmond’s own Barbara “Bobbi” Weinstock serving as the temporary chair. The group principally served as the state’s LGBTQ information and communications network. The May 1978 edition of Our Own, reported on the formation of the Political Action Committee of the VCLGR and 2 priorities were set: 1) removal of the word “homosexual” from ABC regulations which forbid serving alcohol beverages to or hiring “known homosexuals;” and 2) to repeal the state sodomy law. An education committee was also formed to provide support to campus groups and promote understanding of homosexuality in the “non-gay” community.

Another stated goal of the GRA was to add sexual orientation to the Richmond Human Rights Ordinance and members of the Virginia Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights also worked to support this goal. In 1978, the Richmond Human Rights Commission began forming the text for a new human rights ordinance to amend the City Code of 1975. At the June 6 meeting a number of people spoke for inclusion of sexual orientation in the language. Some of the speakers for the inclusion were: Beth Marschak of the Third District Women’s Political Caucus, Bruce Garnett of the Richmond Gay Rights Association (GRA), Barbara Weinstock of the Virginia Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights and Reverend Ed Meeks “Pope” Gregory. Members of RLF chose to step up and speak for the ordinance as members of other groups they were involved with in order to indicate the widespread organizational support for the ordinance. The Richmond Human Rights Commission endorsed the inclusive language.

City Council woman, Willie Dell, introduced the ordinance to city council, and three public hearings were held, where members of the GRA and VCLGR spoke up. On May 29, 1979, Richmond City Council approved the ordinance with “sexual orientation” and “ancestry” removed from the list of protected classes. Over 30 years later, there is still no inclusive human rights ordinance in place in Richmond.

Another important development for the women’s community in Richmond was the opening of Labrys Books on April 9, 1978 at 8 North Allen Avenue. Founded by Theresa “Terry” Barry and Joan Mayfield, Labrys sold books by and for women and, along with the aforementioned churches, served as a meeting space for feminists and lesbians in Richmond. Labrys closed in 1981 and Womensbooks, a feminist owned cooperative bookstore started at the YWCA on North 5th Street in the Winter of 1981. WomensBooks later moved to the basement of the Fare Share Food Cooperative on Main Street. Selections included many lesbian books and music when they were hard to find in Virginia. WomensBooks operated until 1993, shortly after Phoenix Rising, a bookstore serving the entire LGBTQ community. Phoenix Rising, run by Jim Todd and Rex Harrison, still operates on Belmont Avenue in Richmond, struggling in this age of easy online access and access in “big box” bookstores such as Borders and Barnes and Noble.

A LOT happened in the gay and lesbian community in Richmond in the decade following the Stonewall Inn Riots, and the first Gay Pride event in Richmond was June 23, 1979 commemorating the Tenth Annivesary of the riots. The theme was “Death of Denial… Birth of Pride.” The Pride event consisted of a motorcade of about 15 decorated cars beginning at Azalea Mall and paraded about three miles to Byrd Park, folk singers, banners, a picnic lunch and speeches by local activists. Among the speakers were some already familiar names: Barbara Weinstock, Beth Marschak, and Bruce Garnett. RLF sponsored a dance held that evening at the Sheraton Motel. The next Pride was not held until 1983 and the 1984 pride event was the first with a formal organization.

There were numerous pride celebrations across the United States commemorating Stonewall and there were also several marches in 1979 where Richmond was well represented. RLF members marched in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. In addition, the first National March on Washington for LGBTQ rights was held October 14, 1979, and Richmond was well-represented by members of the local Gay Rights associations: the GRA, the VCLGR and RLF. Again, well-known activists were among the attendees including Neil Parsons, Bruce Garnett, Beth Marschak and Barbara “Bobbi” Weinstock. This First March on Washington for gay and lesbian rights was a lobbying effort to support the House Bill (HR 2074) which would have provided gay rights protections. The November 1979 issue of Our Own reported 100,000 people attended the March.

In addition to rallying in DC, the VCLGR announced a rally at Capital Square in January when the General Assembly was in session, encouraging people to come to the capital for a visible show of strength. A lobbyist was approved and in January 1980, VCLGR hired Beth Marschak as the first registered lobbyist to lobby the Virginia General Assembly on behalf of LGBTQ rights. There were 3 legislative goals: 1) remove the references to “homosexuals” in the ABC laws, 2) repeal of sodomy laws and 3) a human rights statute protecting gays and lesbians. It was years before the first goal was accomplished , the second technically still hasn’t been achieved because the law is still on the books although presumably rendered unconstitutional by “Lawrence and Gardner v. Texas” in 2003 and Virginia still does not have a human rights statute protecting LGBTQ people. The Virginia did consider a bill that would decriminalize heterosexual sodomy and reduce homosexual sodomy from a Class 6 Felony to a Class 1 Misdemeanor. This bill failed and sodomy continued as a Class 6 Felony.

Beth Marschak was the first registered lobbyist to lobby for LGBTQ rights with the Virginia General Assembly. In 1981, the Richmond Gay Rights Association (GRA) sponsored the second; Bruce Garnett was hired as a registered lobbyist at the Virginia General Assembly to speak on behalf of gay and lesbian rights. Garnett was the first openly gay man to lobby the General Assembly. The GRA disbanded later in 1981.

Following the disbanding of the GRA, The RVGA (became lesbian inclusive RVGLA in 1987) was founded in 1982. The general goals of the group were to: (1) To be an effective political voice for Richmond’s gay/lesbian community through voter registration, lobbying, candidate support, and other forms of non-violent activism (2) To seek the repeal of all laws that discriminate against homosexuals solely on the basis of sexual orientation to include: sodomy, privacy, domestic relations, health issues, civil rights, ABC laws, employment, housing, inheritance rights, marriage, and insurance (3) To enhance the well-being of Gay and Lesbian individuals through education, social and political activism, and strengthening coalitions with other human rights organizations and (4) To communicate information on AIDS, other health issues and their effects on society through the following: education, legislative action and cooperation with health organization. (The Virginia Pride, March 1987, back cover)

The decade or so after Stonewall was a heady decade in Richmond as well as in many areas of the United States. Members of the lesbian and gay community were practically flying out of the closet, the “straight” community was forced to acknowledge that a gay and lesbian community existed, and the lesbian and gay community, separately and together, began to form organizations that would stand up and fight for gay and lesbian rights for years to come. The religious establishment also began to face the fact that gay and lesbians existed in all facets of society including within their walls, some churches would embrace lesbians and gays, but many would add to their discrimination; new churches like MCC were established to minister specifically to gays and lesbians. The next decades the fight would continue, in fact it still continues, but no one would have expected the crisis that absorbed much of the energy of the lesbian and gay community for most of the eighties and into the nineties: AIDS.