Author Description

With captions by Allen Ginsberg and a preface by William S. Burroughs, this is the only book to celebrate and chronicle the gay parade in NYC during its heyday. An all-new collection-none of the photos, captions, or preface has ever been published before! Taken during the early days of the gay pride parade, these photos were captioned by Allen Ginsberg and laid aside until now. This book provides a unique and personal look into the roots of one the city's most vibrant traditions, as well as being an important addition to gay/lesbian literature and photo documentation. Hank O'Neal chronicled the New York City gay pride parade from the informal, spontaneous ritual held soon after the Stonewall Riots up to the more orchestrated, glamorous parades of the 80s, before AIDS turned the parade into a political necessity. All of O'Neal's photographs date from 1974 to 1984, when the parade was held on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village (it has since moved to 5th Avenue). The photos capture the personality, the community, and the spirit of the gay pride parade in its earliest stages.