Noho Pride

Noho Pride was an annual LGBT pride event, consisting of a parade and a rally, held in Northampton, Massachusetts in early May. It was first held in 1982, and then every year afterwards until 2020.

1982-1988

Noho Pride started as the Northampton Lesbian and Gay Liberation March, which was first held in May 1982.^[1] The march was organized in response to harassment that LGBTQ residents were facing and to legislation which denied money to groups that "promoted homosexuality".^[1][2][3] The march was organized by the Gay and Lesbian Activists (GALA), who consisted of local residents.^[1] Marchers walked from the Bridge Street School to Pulaski Park.^[2] They faced backlash, with marchers having eggs thrown at them from windows and by passersby.^[1] Educators who joined the march wore paper bags over their heads to disguise their identities, as they could be fired if their employers knew they were gay.^[1] In 1983 an estimated 1-2,000 people were expected to attend.^[4]

In 1984 GALA was denied a permit by the city, and they filed a lawsuit in response. The Hampshire Superior Court threw out the city's parade ordinance.^[5] The 1985 march was attended by about 1,500 people.^[6]

1989-1999

In early 1989 conflicts arose after the event's name was changed to the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual March (although bisexuals had been included since at least 1986).^[7][8][9] Lesbian activists feared the inclusion of bisexuality would lead to the decentering or exclusion of lesbian speakers and activism.^[8] The name was changed back in 1990, but disagreements continued on the extent to which bisexuality should be included in the event, with some bisexual individuals boycotting the march.^[8][10][11] The event's name was again changed to the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Pride March in 1992.^[8][12] In 1993 the name was again expanded to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride March.^[8][13]

2000-2020

By 2000, the event's planning committee was named Northampton Pride March, Inc.^[14] In 2004 an estimated 10,000 people turned up to the event to celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.^[15]

2011 marked the event's 30th anniversary, during which Robyn Ochs served as the event's first openly bisexual grand marshal.^[16] One group, the Queer Insurgency Collective, protested the supposed commercialization, racially homogenous, and apolitical nature of the event.^[17]

As of 2014, the event cost an estimated $30,000 to put on.^[18]

An estimated 30,000 people attended the event in 2017.^[19]

In 2019 the event drew between 30,000 and 35,000 people.^[20] In 2020 the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a virtual 'parade' was still held.^[21][22] During the following years the event struggled to reorganize, and in 2023 the event was replaced by Hampshire Pride.^[23]

External links

• Official website
• Video: 1986 March
• Photos 1982-1985
• Northampton Pride oral histories

References