
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 27, 1994                    TAG: 9406270084 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A1    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES 
DATELINE: 940627                                 LENGTH: NEW YORK

HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE THERE, ANYWAY?

{LEAD} Call it the politics of numbers.

Depending on whom one believes, the crowd sweltering in Central Park for Sunday's gay rights rally either equaled the populations of Boston and Seattle combined, or it just about matched the turnout at a big college football game. Organizers estimated 1.1 million people; police and parks officials said there were 100,000.

{REST} Crowd estimates have long contributed to the lore of large gatherings and have, for just as long, been subject to manipulation by those who either want to celebrate or play down the events. Even so, the disparity between Sunday's estimates was extreme.

Tony Incalcatera, a Stonewall 25 spokesman, said he did not know how many people were in the marches, but laughed when he heard the police estimates. ``That's way too low,'' he said.

John Miller, the deputy police commissioner for public information, said, ``This is a very inexact science.''

{KEYWORDS} GAY RIGHTS HOMOSEXUALS LESBIANS by CNB