June proclaimed gay and lesbian month

By Tracy Reynolds
Summer Forty-Niner

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which was the birth of the modern gay and lesbian civil rights movement, President Bill Clinton issued on June 11 the United States’ first official proclamation recognizing the month of June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. 

“Thirty years ago this month, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a courageous group of gay and lesbian citizens resisted harassment and mistreatment from unjust law enforcement,” Clinton said in a press release. “Gays and lesbians, their families and friends, celebrate the anniversary of Stonewall every June in America as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.” 

Clinton’s measure received mixed reactions nationwide. While gay and lesbian communities see this as a step in the right direction, participants at the Southern Baptist convention, held in Atlanta last week, voted against supporting the President’s Gay and Lesbian Proclamation.

“It’s fantastic to finally attain recognition from this country’s administration,” said Teri d’Crescenzo, a public relations officer at West Hollywood’s Gay and Lesbian Center. “I hope this is just the beginning for continued national acceptance of gay and lesbian lifestyles.”

Wiley Blake, a California Baptist minister, condemned Clinton’s edict .

“Any proclamation which acts to affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behavior is contrary to God’s law,” Drake said in a press release. “We discourage all Americans from observing this month in any way, other than to pray for the repentance and salvation of those caught up in this sinful lifestyle.”

The 16th annual Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride parade climaxed a weekend festival last month. Last year, the parade drew 90,000 people, according to the Gay and Lesbian Center, to become the city’s second-largest event following the annual Long Beach Grand Prix auto race. However, gray skies and rain cut this year’s attendance to an estimated 40,000. 

The raising of a rainbow flag symbolizing gay pride atop City Hall kicked off San Francisco’s upcoming Pride parade and celebration this weekend. The flag, raised by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, is the first of its kind to be flown atop a major American city hall building.