We Were There (1976, contains nudity)

[Narrator] Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley and five City Council Members issued an official Proclamation for Gay Pride week in Los Angeles and members of the Christopher Street West Association were happy to report about it at this press conference. With the 1976 theme, "We were There," members and f riends of CSW worked to put together a special Bicentennial publication to commemorate gay pride week but the person really responsible for making the publication possible was its editor Frank McGill who worked for a full year on the project the 52-page Slick magazine had 16 pages in color and numerous articles written by community leaders and was perhaps the best publication ever issued in connection with gay pride week [Music] San Francisco was having its gay parade one week earlier than Los Angeles several csw members went there to be in their parade and with members and friends from other Los Angeles organizations the Los Angeles contingent was warmly welcomed by the San Francisco Community the parade was almost four miles long winding its way through the business and residential sections of the Golden Gate City [Music] the heat wave that San Francisco was having prompted many of the parade Watchers to shed their clothes and with the friendly attitudes of their police department and the liberated standards of the city this proved no problem at all as people enjoyed this freedom of expression in San Francisco as perhaps in no other city in the United States Certainly the Los Angeles Police Department isn't ready to look the other way at this kind of open expression [Music] Following the parade a festival in Golden Gate Park drew thousands of men and women there to enjoy the happiness and high spirits that pervaded San Francisco's Gay Pride Celebration [Music] thank you [Music] the hot sun and the liberated standards prompted many more people to shed their clothes and when a water pipe broke they had a field day splashing and cooling themselves off in the unexpected but very welcome cold shower [Music] Of course, if you're going to run around nude almost anything could happen [Music] All in all, San Francisco enjoyed one of its best gay pride celebrations to date [Music] Back in Los Angeles, clearing the weeds from a big open lot in the heart of Hollywood was one of the many jobs that had to be done to clear the way for the carnival booths and carnival rides that would be going for four days and nights Even special telephone lines were set up for the Gay Pride event This is Opal, one of the four Pollock Brothers elephants that CSW had hired for its Circus Earlier that day, we registered opal at the Hollywood Plaza Hotel as a way of welcoming her and the Gay Pride circus to Hollywood [Music] And now, we were officially underway. Forty-Four carnival booths were set up representing numerous gay organizations that participated in the four-day event. This was the best representation that Christopher Street West had ever had and the diversity of Wares available in the booths made the carnival just that much more fun [Music] the Zion Travelers played the greatest listening and dancing music during the four-day event which also featured the raffling of a brand new car [Music] The carnival was just as much fun at night with its dazzling lights, rides at carnival booths going full swing [Music] The fabulous Christopher Street West Freedom circus was the first circus in Hollywood in more than 25 years, proving its popularity with both young and old alike as the various circus acts went through their paces in both day and night performances [Music] Elephant Walk were the two words that meant the elephants had to be moved from their tethering Place through the carnival Midway and to the circus area for their performances although the crowds were light during these scenes often hundreds of people had to be made wary and kept safe from the ponderous pachyderms as they walked within inches of the people on the Carnival Midway that this feat was accomplished 20 times without mishap is a tribute to the superb volunteer security Force assembled by Mr. David Glasscock for the CSW event. [Music] As thousands of people lined Hollywood Boulevard the seventh annual Christopher Street West parade was about to get underway on a beautiful Bicentennial 4th of July in Hollywood [Applause] [Music] And so one of the best Christopher Street West parades came to an end as thousands of people headed for the carnival and circus grounds to continue the Gay Pride Celebration [Music] For the final circus performance, professional elephant trainer Ben Duane wore the official Christopher Street West gay pride t-shirt in his own words as a tribute to the gay people that I've come to respect admire and enjoy working for and with for the past four days Following the circus, awards and trophies were presented by Morris Kite and other members of CSW for the exceptional entries in the big parade. The Stonewall Democratic Club received a trophy for best theme presentation. Then, a winner was selected for a gown that was being raffled during the past four days And members of the California Association of Gay Student Organizations were honored for their parade entry Although the celebration is ending, Gay Pride will continue and "We Were There" will ReSound as "We Are Here" As for Christopher Street West, we'll see you next year. [Music]