On July 4, 1965, Frank Kameny, Randy Wicker and several dozen LGBT activists rallied outside Independence Hall calling for LGBT rights. Now, 45 years later, Kameny and Wicker will again be outside of Independence Hall on July 4. But this year instead of waving protest signs, they will be waving to the thousands of spectators along the route for the city’s annual parade.
While PGN publisher Mark Segal’s participation in the Fourth of July event in 2005 marked the first time the LGBT community was represented, this year’s Wawa’s Welcome America Parade will feature the largest LGBT contingent ever.
Kameny, Wicker and Segal will all ride the route in vehicles — provided by the Lambda Car Club in New Hope — that will be preceded by a float carrying LGBT dance troupe the D.C. Cowboys and followed by the Philadelphia Freedom Band, the city’s LGBT concert and marching band.
Parade producer Todd Marcocci said organizers first sought out the D.C. Cowboys to participate in the parade because of their popular 2008 appearance on “America’s Got Talent,” and then, at the suggestion of Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation vice president of communications Jeff Guaracino, decided to broaden the LGBT involvement and include Kameny, Wicker and Segal to pay homage to their work as “Gay Pioneers.”
Between 1965-69, Kameny organized a series of July Fourth “Annual Reminders” outside of Independence Hall, silent pickets that sought to heighten the visibility of the LGBT community and fuel the LGBT-rights movement.
“You have to bring yourself back to the ’60s and think that at that point these types of protests were the way for us to express our dissent,” Kameny said. “We’d already started picketing at the White House and other government buildings in Washington and then in ’65 we thought that Fourth of July just seemed conceptually appropriate and there would be no better place to do them than in front of Independence Hall.”
The activists, who followed a strict dress and behavioral code in an effort to show the heterosexual community that the gay community was no different from themselves, were considered extreme just for their openness.
“We were demanding the basic rights that everyone takes for granted,” Wicker said. “We were making conservative claims for the same civil rights that we’re still claiming, things like the right to serve in the military. We didn’t ask for the right to marry because that was just beyond our vision or comprehension at the time. There was a level of discrimination and legal obstacles to homosexual equality in those days that people just don’t comprehend now. It was considered extremely radical just to be out there looking like corporate nonentities, in suits and ties and dresses, representing the masses of gay people that at that time were totally invisible.”
Several years ago, the city affixed an historical marker at the spot to commemorate the five years of protests, and Marcocci noted that while the sign has been able to educate countless tourists, the Gay Pioneers’ participation in the parade adds another dimension to that education.
“Certainly, the historical marker tells the story to everybody every day when they walk by there and see that, but to have those people who were actually part of that and who are the living people behind that sign is quite significant,” he said. “It’s not very often that you’re able to have that living history right in front of your eyes.”
Wicker said the invitation to return to Philadelphia brings his fight for LGBT rights full circle.
“It’s sort of a vindication,” he said. “It’s like how in the South the people who were active in the civil-rights sit-ins and those who had been arrested and beaten during those years were often ultimately honored in the same place years later.”
It was actions like the Annual Reminders that were influential in securing expanded rights for and societal acceptance of the LGBT community, Wicker said.
“I believe that justice is achieved mainly because of freedom of speech,” he said. “We went out and we made our presentation to society and, even though back in those days we were considered beyond redemption and a scourge on society, some people were willing to give us a hearing. And if you have a good argument, attitudes start to change and that’s the whole progression of equality.”
Christopher Johansen, director of the Philadelphia Freedom Band — which will have a full color guard and about 50 musicians playing tunes such as “Sweet Caroline,” “Liberty Bell March” and Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” in the parade — said the inclusion of the LGBT community is especially meaningful because of the holiday.
“We’re proud to be part of this celebration of the birth of freedom in the birthplace of America,” he said. “And we’re happy that after 200-something years, the city and the nation are owning up to the true meaning of freedom. And that we, as gay people, are free to be who we are and are actually being celebrated for the first time.”
While the parade will honor the history of the LGBT community, it is also historic for the D.C. Cowboys.
Although the troupe garnered a flood of international attention following their run on “America’s Got Talent” two years ago and has performed at both LGBT and mainstream events, this marks the first time that they’ll be included in a mainstream parade — not to mention being a headliner.
“We’re really excited and looking forward to being a part of something like this,” said Kevin Platte, executive and artistic director of the troupe. “Our target audience has been the gay community and women, but through ‘America’s Got Talent,’ we saw that all types of people really do enjoy our choreography and our performances, whether they’re young or old, men or women. People still come up to us and say, ‘Oh, I voted for you,’ and it’s really been empowering for us to go from just performing in the gay and lesbian circuit of events to now going around the world and performing at straight events, too.”
The Cowboys’ float will be professionally made — and a step above the usual flatbed truck stacked with bales of hay the troupe usually rides on in Pride parades — and the 16 dancers will perform their numbers atop the float during the one-hour parade.
Although they’re best known for their dancing, the Cowboys also are committed to raising money for HIV/AIDS causes.
From 7-9 p.m. July 3, the Cowboys will perform at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St., with an after-party at The Bike Stop, with all proceeds going to benefit Philadelphia FIGHT.
“We wanted to take advantage of us being there in Philadelphia to help raise money for Philadelphia FIGHT for all the good things that they do,” Platte said, noting that coincidentally one of the other parade headliners — Miss America Caressa Camercon — has also been a strong advocate for HIV/AIDS causes.
Marcocci said that unlike other cities’ July Fourth parades, the local event isn’t just draped in red, white and blue but tries to incorporate diverse communities.
“Philadelphia is really unique in the diversity of its Fourth of July parade. We have everyone from a Bolivian dance group, Vietnam vets, dancers from an Okinawa drum group, and the list goes on and on. And that’s what Philadelphia’s about,” he said.
The parade will set off at 11 a.m. July 4 from 5th and Chestnut streets, head west on Chestnut to 7th Street, turn down Market Street and end at Front Street.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].