THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 27, 1994 TAG: 9406270097
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE AND MARK MOBLEY, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: 940627 LENGTH: NEW YORK
At precisely 3 p.m. the marching stopped. Bands ceased playing. Raised voices stilled. Police even lowered the volume on their walkie-talkies. Hands rose - a few in defiant fists, most with two fingers and thumb out in a symbol of love - and people remembered the millions who have died of AIDS.
{REST} ``We all just stopped and I could see all these arms raised ahead of me and all of a sudden all I could think of were Ken and Terry and Jose,'' said Keith Merrit of Virginia Beach. ``It had been so noisy. You had to shout to talk. But then it was just dead silent. You could hear the birds . . . Ken loved birds . . .'' Tears welled again as he remembered his one-time companion and two friends who died of AIDS. The events marked the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, in which gay-bar patrons protested police vice raids. Days of riots in June 1969 spawned a wave of activism that resulted in greater gay visibility, political power and legal protections.
For two decades gay New Yorkers have marched in June. But this year's observance attracted activists and entertainers from around the world. Liza Minnelli, Carol Channing and Gregory Hines were among the celebrities appearing at a Central Park rally after the march.
Minnelli's mother, Judy Garland, was a favorite of gays, and the Stonewall riots broke out on the day of Garland's funeral. ``I've been thinking about you so much,'' Minnelli told the crowd. ``You're always in my heart. You know that.''
Also in attendance were several counterprotesters, some carrying signs reading ``Fear God Not Fags,'' and shouting that gays would ``burn in hell'' and should ``hurry up and die of AIDS.''
Police said the march as well as a smaller, more militant demonstration on Fifth Avenue by the advocacy group ACT-UP came off with no major problems, although the twin demonstrations did create gridlock the nation's largest city.
Counting Virginians was difficult, largely because of the number of contingents that residents of the Old Dominion opted to march with. Some preferred to march with the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America. Others joined various special-interest groups such as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, assorted religious and political groups, people with AIDS/-HIV and the People of Color contingent.
Additionally, while there was to have been one official Virginia delegation, there actually were three: many Northern Virginia residents marched with the huge Washington crowd. The remaining Virginians were unintentionally split into two groups thanks to confusion about the state's location in the parade lineup.
Hampton Roads residents who marched said their participation was as much a personal affirmation as it was a public demand for international human rights and equality.
``I missed the (1993) March on Washington and I really needed to be in a gay crowd of this size at this time,'' said Jeanne Matali, 32, an adviser at Tidewater Community College.
Like many lesbian and gay parents in Virginia, she was deeply affected by the Sharon Bottoms case where a judge had ruled that a woman's homosexuality alone was sufficient reason to take her child. Just last week an appeals court reversed that decision. The case is now expected to go before the state Supreme Court.
``That whole thing was real discouraging,'' Metali said of the original decision. ``I just needed to be in a supportive environment.''
Her companion, Zelda Lockhart, 29, a teacher at Christopher Newport University, agreed. Though already out and active in the gay movement, she said the Bottoms case ``made things bubble even more inside of me.'' Additionally, ``the march last year and this one have been real important to me because my brother died of AIDS in New York last year.''
And delivering a message to the United Nations that discrimination on all levels should stop was a strong motivator, Lockhart said. ``As a woman and as a black person and as a lesbian, I know it's time for all the oppression to stop.''
Her son Travis, 8, rested his head against her leg as she spoke and said he wasn't disappointed that he wasn't back home playing with his friends. ``I'd rather be here,'' he said.
Many in the crowd wondered aloud what the impact of Sunday's march would be. Most were hopeful for long-term gain.
``I don't think you can say something didn't work because it didn't have immediate impact,'' said Jeannine Pinto, 32, a graduate student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
She said the March on Washington and even the anti-gay rhetoric of the Republican Party and conservative Christians have had a positive impact as more people talk about the issues and come to know gay people.
The Virginia group she was with numbered about 100 by the end of the march. They walked behind a banner proclaiming, ``Virginians March with Pride - It's simply a matter of justice.''
While some in the parade wore leather or were in drag, they were a tiny minority. Most, including the Virginia groups, wore jeans or shorts. Many sported shirts with anti-discrimination slogans.
There was a certain irony in the huge police presence around the march. At the time of the Stonewall incident, police routinely raided gay bars and arrested patrons and employees.
Sunday, police were on hand to protect and usually smiled appreciatively when approached and thanked for their efforts.
Some, however, found that the march served only to remind them of discrimination in their daily lives.
``Today is like being able to step out of a closed space and take a deep breath of freedom,'' said a 30-year-old Navy man stationed in Norfolk who declined to give his name for fear of retribution. ``The only trouble is when I go back to work, it's going to be back into the closet.''
{KEYWORDS} GAYS LESBIANS HOMOSEXUALS GAY RIGHTS MARCH RALLY
by CNB