bold and boisterous, wacky and while. a rainbow parade with personality and passion. the many different flavors of san francisco's pride festivities over the years. >> now that san francisco has become the international gay mecca this parade is the biggest gay party. >> and randy shiltz shares his observations and takes on san francisco pride circa 1980. good afternoon everyone i'm mark somerville. welcome to a second look. tonight a look back at the bay

area's rich gay pride history. the parade draws over 1 million people. but through the years the parade has meant a lot of different things to different people. >> reporter: gay and lesbian people would not have marched down the street the last 15 years ago. nonetheless, wear costumes. floats were sponsored by blue chip corporations and refreshments were pedaled by iconic american brand names, coke, pepsi, budweiser. has the parade just become a big party. a commercialized event with nothing left to say. it was anything but widely

accepted in 1972 when a band of gays, lesbians, hippies and anarchys marched down the street. and as their numbers grew so did their boldness. for the first time many felt safe in being publicly gay. even flamboyantly gay. and according to susan striker, director of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender society -- >> they're too showy. they're too visible. they don't look like anybody else. and i think the extravagance of some gay pride parades is to say yeah so what. so what. what's wrong with being

flamboyant? >> reporter: by the second year of the parade, some of the organizers had decided that the first parade was too flamboyant. the transsexuals and cross dressers were disinvited and the parade that year had a decided macho overtone. >> the understanding in the early 70s was that transgender people were reactionary and opposed to the liberation movement. i think that was a misperception of transgender people. >> reporter: but even that toned down second parade shocked an older generation of gay men who believed in using quiet persuasion to gain persuasion. one of them was don lucas a retired journalist. this was at a time when gay sex was at against the law and

homosexuals lived secret lives. >> they had to hide the fact that they were gay because they couldn't get a job for instance if you where are known to the gay. i don't care what it was, you couldn't get a job. you couldn't get any where in any company unless you had a wife. you had to have a wife in order to climb up the ladder in the companies that the time. >> reporter: in the times lucas remembers, gay men and women did their socializing in private. in their own homes and even there they had to be very careful. >> you could even lose your place where you were living if you were renting. you could be kicked out on the street. >> just for being gay. >> just for being gay. yes. no other reason. and the gay bars would be raided. your name would be in the paper and that was it. that's why there were an awful

lot of suicides. >> reporter: partly because of the quiet work done by men like lucas, a large proportion of the bay area public was ready in the 70s to hear the message of gay pride and gay rights and to accept in good humor the antics of the parade marchers. >> my message is freedom and peace and love. nothing else. >> reporter: adds -- as the parade became an annual fixture, the cross dressers were invited back and they got more flamboyant. >> somebody tried to introduce carnival rides and they were largely criticized for you know pulling the political things out of this event. and they were declawing the movement. that it was all about

celebration and not about politics. >> reporter: the festive move was squashed not by politics but by an infectious virus turning strong young men into invalids and then into dead young men. >> parades became a little more somber in the 80s as aids was taking its toll. >> reporter: in the mid-90s a new generation took over. a generation that extended the parade's blanket to include racial and social issues of all kinds. the generation xers were savvy about fund raisings and opened the doors to commercial sponsorship. some in the community are repelled by this and saying the parade is losing it punch and the movement losing its bite. >> i think if you're betting at bringing resources to the table, that you have a chance to affect more things in the world. on the other hand if you sell out your message and water down what you're doing then you've lost something. >> reporter: times change and

so do messages. but the freedom day parade has established a permanent place in bay area culture. >> san francisco's pride celebration always happens in june. the same as most other pride celebrations across the country. that's because the original pride festival was held in new york to commemorate the first anniversary of the stone wall riots which most people consider to be the birth of the gay rights movement. it was late june 1969 when police raided the stone wall in. it was a well known gay bar in new york city's grenich village. hundreds of people took to the streets and yelled gay power. more police reinforcements were called in but the fighting continued. more fighting followed until riot police were called in. this year marks the 45th

anniversary of the stone wall riots. the killing that claimed the life of a man in san francisco and brought people from all walks of life to the parade. >> i didn't know there were so many gay people in the whole world. >> the festivities in san francisco attract visitors from around the world and wide wide attention. we love this kitchen! what's next? great! do you have measurements? and from india to ampebe how gay pride rallies are spreading throughout the world. yea, let's do that! ikea. professional kitchen services at a low price.

we lowhat's next?hen! great! do you have measurements? yeah, i paced it off. it's about twenty by twelve of these. so, we can measure, plan and install it for you. yea, let's do that! ikea. professional kitchen services at a low price. welcome back to a second look. gay pride is now a huge event. but there was a time when the parade was smaller and excluively gay. that changed when a gay man died a violent death and people from all over the bay area marched to show their support for gay rights. bob mackenzie filed their

report in 2004. just a few days before the gay freedom day parade in 1977, two men stopped for burgers. one put their hands around the other. two men saw it and followed and beat them. >> he was stabbed in his face and chest 15 times by a gang screaming faggets. gay men and lesbians are his survivors. >> reporter: police had arrested 19-year-old john cardova the man with the knife. they had seized the other three young men police say were with them. those arrested not in the meets and protests in san francisco on the eve of the parade.

community leaders said it was time for the public to take a stand. >> it is only when we stand together, that we are able to defeat those who would separate us and attack us for our difference. >> mayor masconi ordered the flag flown at half staff. the police squads stood ready. organizers asked the gay community to remain calm. >> what do we want? >> justice. >> when do we want it? >> right now. >> reporter: that sunday an estimated 250 people showed up to march in the parade or watch from the sidewalk. double the number who had shown up the year before. but paradegoers said there was a difference this year. >> i think when you see the number of gay people are you will realize it. because everybody is coming out now. you're not going to see the screaming queens you're used to seeing. >> reporter: marchers carried

signs that read rights. >> i don't really attempt to understand it at all. >> reporter: police said they had only the usual problems with traffic and crowds. >> today everybody is wearing a chastitd belt. and i don't think there'll be any problems. the one politician who addressed the crowd, then san francisco assemblyman brown told the crowd they were beautiful then asked for silence. >> one moment of silence for the young man who died. >> reporter: did the death of robert hillsboro bring people out of the closet and into the streets. the sheer numbers of those who turned out for the parade gave

them political cloud. people who were squared to be out on the parade rout yelled are you with us. large public funeral for robert brown's burial was held. he was described as a quiet man who had been pleased to get a job with the city's parks department who wasn't much interested in politics. his mother spoke about the men who beat and killed her son. >> the only thing that i pray is i feel sorry for the boys who were the assessors much longer. >> the man who stabbed robert hillsboro was convicted of second degree murder the following year. john cardova served five years in prison. cardova has served time since then on two other convictions and most recently was booked

under his new name, trudy cardova. his parol officer says cardova was living as a woman in san francisco when he was discharged from parol five years ago. bob mackenzie for a second look. when we come back on a second look, famed author shiltz reports for ktv, at san francisco. >> we're live and we're here. we ain't going any where. >> reporter: and joy in the face of fear as some people celebrated the glory of life in the shadow of aids. did you remember to pay the dog sitter? yeah, citi mobile.

and deposit that check? citi mobile. pack your bathing suit? wearing it. niiice bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app. heat shields are compromised. we what's that alarm?ures. fuel cell two is down. i'm going to have to guide her in manually. this is very exciting. but i'm at my stop. come again? i'm watching this on the train. it's so hard to leave. good luck with everything.

watch tv virtually anywhere with the u-verse tv app. with at&t, the u-verse revolves around you. welcome back to a second look. this week san francisco pride. in 1980 the city celebrated pride under the banner of liberty and justice for all. a young reporter who's best known today for his books and the band played on and the mayor of castro street reported on the days events for ktvu and this was the report that randy shiltz filed in june of 1980.

from the crowds festive mood you would hardly guess that the parade generated a riot. that bar raid sparked a three day riot that is now commemorated as the birth of the modern gay rights movement. the first time the gays fought back for their right. but today's throngs showed there's more than just gay drag queens. today the organizers of a gay savings and loan, a club for deaf people and of course the high spirited group called dikes on bikes. on if political side there were gay libertarians, gay republicans and gay democrats. the day's loudest cheers came

from members of the harvey milk gay democratic group. for all this diversity, the marchers agreed on the parade theme, gay and liberty for all. >> we always felt out of the mainstream. we are just as much part of americana as everyone else. we're here to stay. >> reporter: there was no speakers with many political points to make. gay america behold your strength. you have it in you a spirit of freedom. you celebrated pride together. >> reporter: there was more than politics in this parade now that san francisco has become the international gay me

mecca this parade is the biggest party. wherever you from? >> from denmark. we are quite liberal in denmark. i didn't think there were so many gay people in the whole world as we have seen today. >> i'm from sweden, the university town in sweden. i partly came here because of the parade. it means that gay people get visible in a way that won't happen in my country. >> five years later some 200,000 some odd people would join the parade in san francisco. and gary calf was there. >> reporter: gay freedom parade reached its sweet 16 today and downtown was filled with people who wanted to join. dikes on bikes started the

parade and a number of costumes, gay fathers, gay bands and gay sailor boys who stopped to sing. the point of all this to show pride in the gay lifestyle and to show solidarity in the face of adversity. be it discrimination or deadly disease. and the deadly disease aids was the main topic today. >> we're alive and we're here. we ain't going any where. the parade route led to city hall. including what gay leaders say was the first ever appearance of a united states senator and gay freedom day celebration. the crowd loved it. when we come back on a second look. pride and gay history. >> i've lost 37 friends in the last year. so real sad day. as thousands die and others fall sick to aids. sadness and loss make their presence felt at pride.

and an about face in the military opens the doors for the pentagon to celebrate gay pride.

welcome back to a second look. the history of the gay rights movement will forever be linked. as gay men got sick and died from aids in the 1980s the community was ripped apart by loss and in great pain. as rob roth reported, even as the gay community gathered together to celebrate freedom they did so in the midst of a crisis that was claiming their friend, their family and their lovers. the parade began as it does ever year with hundreds of women from the lesbian group dikes on bikes blasting through market street. the theme of this year's parade was proud, strong and united but it also included the

flamboyant, colorful and bizarre. but this parade was also full of reminders that the good old days in the gay community were all about gone and this is a new age. people dressed up adds condo boxes and threw -- >> i've lost 34 friends in the last year so it's a real sad day. >> some put away their sadness at least for the day. >> it's important to express joviality. i think it's a really happy event. >> i think the whole range is here and everything in life is political. everything in life is expressive and that's what the

parade is about, expressing yourself. >> still others said that the tone was that the party is over and it's politics is power. >> i think the necessity has brought out the political stance. people don't want to party anymore. >> i think it shows who we are. other than the glitz and glamour. >> reporter: pride festives are now held all across the country including one that is just for members of the military at the pentagon. >> ♪ [star spangled banner

] since 2012 when the don't ask don't tell ban was taken down, the white house has been holding a gay pride event. >> they were asked to choose between serving the country they love and as amanda said being true to themselves. so today we celebrate that that chapter in our history is now over. days after president obama signed papers to repeal don't ask don't tell, lesbian and gay members marched in san diego's gay right's festival.

the list of countries that hosts gay pride events continues to grow. this is india, the high court overturned a rule that called homosexuality as against nature. in uganda where gays and lesbians faced life imprisonment. a small group of people have gathered for the last two years to celebrate gay pride. as one woman said this is who we are and we're not going any where. that's it for this week's second look. i'm frank somerville. we'll see you again next week.

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