Recalling the first Pride parade
Dear Editor,
Reading about Pride always reminds me of this wondrous episode:
Many years ago I went to work at the brand new SD AIDS Project as the director of volunteer and chaplain services and made strong connections with the clients as well as the volunteers; for many I was the “surrogate” mom who accepted them totally after some of their families had disowned them after they came out. I also took my grandson and granddaughter to work at times to keep things feeling homey.
We marched in the very first Pride parade! Along the parade route behind barriers guarded by police were the “fundies” shouting all kinds of insults at us. My 6-year-old grandson Robin left my side and walked to the barriers shaking his finger at the hecklers: “That’s not very nice – these are my friends!”
For one stunned moment there was silence, and the policeman at that spot gave Robin a high five! He proudly came back to us and we marched to the end, with his dear friends praising him and thanking him all the way!
No radicals can shut out kindness and love! And, we worked closely back then with Nicole; tell him hello.
ONA RITA YUFE
