Years later, Boyd shared the footage with producers of the ABC News show “20/20,” which aired a segment by reporter John Stossel on the Westboro church.īoyd was part of the inaugural parade’s planning committee until he became the designated documentarian. He claimed the soldiers’ deaths were part of God’s punishment for America’s tolerance of homosexuality.Īt the time, Phelps was running for governor of Kansas and welcomed the chance to be interviewed, Boyd recalled. He became known for picketing various events, including U.S. It was one of Phelps’ first such protests. Phelps had travelled to Wichita to protest a meeting of the parade planning committee, which was getting advice from parade organizers from other cities. One of the opening scenes of Boyd’s film features Phelps, pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, unloading anti-gay signs from a van on May 10, 1990. Patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village had fought back against a raid on the gay bar. history, held in 1970 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of what’s known as the Stonewall Riots. June also marks the 50 th anniversary of the first gay pride march in U.S.
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Boyd, 66, calls himself a retired gay activist.
First gay pride parade funny for free#
To mark the anniversary - and because this year’s parade was canceled due to a ban on mass gatherings - Boyd is making his 82-minute documentary, “Parade Won! In the Pursuit of Pride,” available for free viewing on YouTube. … And I decided that’s the story I wanted to tell.” While parades in other cities had been filmed, Boyd said, “They never showed what it took to get the parade on the streets. He captured both sides of the story - organizers still fearful of anti-gay prejudice and violence and opponents led by the controversial Topeka figure Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church. Thirty years ago this month, Gregory Boyd filmed history in the making by documenting the genesis of Wichita’s first gay pride parade. Click the DVD cover below to watch the documentary on YouTube.