To mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, my photos from the 7th Gay Pride Parade in 1976 were exhibited at the Hox Gallery at the Hoxton Hotel, Chicago. While a student of photography at the University of Illinois, Chicago we were encouraged to document street photography of parades and neighborhoods. My instructor, noted photographer Robert Steigler gave us a final graduation project of photographing the 1976 Gay Pride on Broadway Street in Chicago. I was the only student who showed up to document the parade. There was an existing roll of color film in my Kodak Retina Reflex 111c and after I finished that roll I exposed a roll of black and white film also. Little did I know that these photos would be an important document of Gay Pride and rights. Since 1976 I have photographed the Pride Parade numerous times as it as changed dramatically over the years. No longer a DIY expression, it has become scene for politicians and advertisers to promote their brand.
Diane Alexander White has photographed the Gay Pride Parades starting in 1976 through 2023. Many of the photos have been exhibited in museums and galleries to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot in 2019. Click on the link to hear more about the history of the Pride Parades over the years.
WBEZ- Photo Exhibit Shows Early Days Of Chicago’s Pride Parade, The Chicago Reader-Pride 1976 , Rooster Magazine- Meet the badass photographer who captured Chicago’s 1976 Gay Pride Parade, READER-ARTS & CULTURE Pride 1976 by Diane Alexander WhiteCenter on Halsted presents Diane Alexander White Photography, and in Showtime's Work in Progress on HBO, Interview and article in AXIOS- Chicago by Carrie Shepard.
It was the year of the United States Bicentennial, and Diane Alexander White was a photography student with a camera at the 7th Annual Gay Pride Parade in 1976. It was the disco era, and the fashions of the day were captured by the 21 year old, Chicago native. The goal was to document the spirit of Chicago’s urban landscape and photograph candid moments of a vibrant city in motion. The LGBTQ parade was a grassroots, assertive declaration of independence with a small crowd and handful of marchers and floats on the southbound lane of North Broadway Street, as oncoming traffic continued in the opposite direction. Witness the diverse faces that paved the way for contemporary Pride, and fought for human rights! Where are they now, and who recognizes them today?
Diane Alexander White has photographed the Gay Pride Parades starting in 1976 through 2023. Many of the photos have been exhibited in museums and galleries to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot in 2019. Click on the link to hear more about the history of the Pride Parades over the years.
WBEZ- Photo Exhibit Shows Early Days Of Chicago’s Pride Parade, The Chicago Reader-Pride 1976 , Rooster Magazine- Meet the badass photographer who captured Chicago’s 1976 Gay Pride Parade, READER-ARTS & CULTURE Pride 1976 by Diane Alexander WhiteCenter on Halsted presents Diane Alexander White Photography, and in Showtime's Work in Progress on HBO, Interview and article in AXIOS- Chicago by Carrie Shepard.
It was the year of the United States Bicentennial, and Diane Alexander White was a photography student with a camera at the 7th Annual Gay Pride Parade in 1976. It was the disco era, and the fashions of the day were captured by the 21 year old, Chicago native. The goal was to document the spirit of Chicago’s urban landscape and photograph candid moments of a vibrant city in motion. The LGBTQ parade was a grassroots, assertive declaration of independence with a small crowd and handful of marchers and floats on the southbound lane of North Broadway Street, as oncoming traffic continued in the opposite direction. Witness the diverse faces that paved the way for contemporary Pride, and fought for human rights! Where are they now, and who recognizes them today?
