Lesbianville Lookback


This years Pride parade in Northampton drew 35,000 or 60,000 folks (depending on who reported), a visible change from the 300 or 800 (depending on who reported) Lesbians, gay men and allies who started the annual march down Main Street in 1982. Other contrasts are visible  in the fan photos of the 2019 event on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NohoPrideOrg. Interesting, to me, was the conscious decision not to have the now  traditional rainbow arch be made of balloons this year, for environmental reasons.

On a historical note, for the day of the Pride parade the Hampshire Gazette published an extremely well researched feature article by Greta Jochem , “The Legend of ‘Lesbianville’: Looking back at a city nickname and claim to fame.” If you don’t get frustrated by the paywall, it includes not only the story of that coined term but  links to the 1990s national news coverage that led to and then piled on the straight media titillation.

https://www.gazettenet.com/Lesbianville-Lookback-25246526

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