Memorable Moments from the 1983 New York Gay Pride Parade

[@laviaslavic1]

I never want Nelson's video's to finish :( Vlogging before it's time, and very important footage.

[@OLDSKOOLSNIP3R]

100% this man was a pioneer, although I'm not gay myself, I'm a huge history nerd and nelson has made a HUGE contribution to gay history and nightlife in the 80s I wish I could have met him...R.I.P.

[@PaulV513]

This makes me so proud, but also profoundly sad - as I wonder how many of these gay men survived? I bet 80% did not. These men were my peers. I am so grateful to be here, still, in 2019!

[@erietgo3]

OMG.... Thank you! This is the year I marched for the first time.

[@alexpabon6848]

I was 13 years old when this was filmed. Today i am 50. Wow.

[@laurentmarandet4850]

Thanks for this testimonial video. Yes it was the last GayPride before AIDS. You can also see on KZbin my own GayPride video, recorded in Paris, June 1983. Most of people on the video died shortly after.

[@9852323]

I thought aids happened in 1981/1982

[@trist2850]

Nelson was maybe the First vlogger ever.I love his recordings.Wish there would be more people today making Videos like him instead of bullshit like Shopping vlogs

[@mrmikeyd2]

I was living in Kansas City from 1982-1985 and it may have been 83 that me and a friend were in NYC for the gay pride parade....it was one of those years....we were there because he was auditioning for A Chorus Line and I tagged along.....the parades then sure were different that today....real people about real organizations just marching and cutting up in the streets....I was kind of disappointed there really were no floats it seemed like and remember thinking we had a better parade in KC........Nelson did such a good thing by filming all this, it needs to be preserved in an archive somewhere, this is history

[@bemo98]

Definitely teared up many times during this. Seeing everyone being so accepting, even back then and even just in their nyc bubble... the love in pride parades always gets me, back when corporate sponsors didn’t have a hidden agenda under the guise of supporting LGBTQ+ people. So profoundly sad that many of these people probably didn’t make it out of the 80’s when there are so many bright souls captured in Nelson’s videos :( but on a brighter note “when the gays go marching in” cheered me up so fast after a quick sob lmao

[@Denise_Suzanne]

I feel like we were far more accepting in the 80s. I was a early to late teen, in the 80s, and everything felt so different back then. We've fallen so hard.

[@PaulV513]

And 9:59 - is that Studio 54's Steve Rubell?

[@handsomeX]

It is. He actually died two weeks after Nelson. July 25th 1989.

[@JB-zo7ln]

He's in another one of Nelson's videos...."Suzanne Bartch's Love Ball" video

[@sultanmadhani6828]

Sooo many pple. I love the energy.

[@Kiro6666]

1983 I was there with my friend it was awesome I miss those Times

[@nikicarrie4071]

Times were so loving then

[@han2552]

thank you for uploading!!

[@ncc74656m]

And I'm so proud to see some of the earliest members of my shul, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in the mix!

[@planetX15]

"shul"?

[@aviratica6370]

@@planetX15 Synagogue.

[@planetX15]

Oh ok thanks!

[@dantevelez531dv]

It’s weird not seeing anyone with a phone 😮

[@ngrd28]

As a queer Salvadoran NY’r 4:46 made me really proud 🥹, good to know the queer community was with us

[@sarahsilvamartinez772]

So many mustaches!

[@dianadundidit5343]

And really short shorts!

[@DiscoMatty79]

Heaven

[@mjg239]

5:07 Nat'l Assoc of Black & White Men Together. Still exists today and has a facebook page.

[@jbak87]

What the fuck is that?

[@ncc74656m]

Out in front of Stonewall.

[@jaylew8408]

Nowadays there's more straight people there just wanting to party, there is no American flags, or American pride, signs announcing blacks and whites together, definitely no churches. These individuals had more of a tough time yet they were still civil, accepting, and compassionate. Goodness gracious I'm terrified for the future of America

[@9852323]

This is what pride should be.

[@lasktdave]

My most memorable moment was that I was there.

[@ryb3198]

So weird not to see any rainbow flags. Guess that wasn't a thing yet.

[@johnanglin4493]

that is odd. I kinda wish we didn't identify with that symbol anymore; instead have groups unite under the need to express one's needs.

[@troysierra5228]

I'm glad to see it before corporations took over pride.

[@melissaonorati2243]

Ray B the rainbow flag it's God's symbol to mankind promising us he will not flood the earth anymore

[@mrmikeyd2]

There was a pink triangle and some multi colored triangle but I don't remember what they meant.........there were little cliquish groups even back then

[@OrangeYTT]

@@mrmikeyd2 The Pink Triangle is a reference to Nazi Germany. Where gay prisoners had a pink triangle sowed onto their uniforms.

[@CG68810]

On a completely random note, it is amazing that we forget that still back in the 80s people were not fat like they are now. It started changing late 80s early 90s. Portion sizes and additives caused people to get fat. I know it was random but these time capsules are utterly fascinating and so important for documenting life. Not sure smalls clips but actual long form film so you can really observe even small little things in the film.

[@mrmikeyd2]

@Konga 5000 And it wasn't gym rats or roid queens......It was calastenic,bar bells and push ups every morning when you got up and every night before you went to bed. There were weight sets in the bathhouses though

[@mjg239]

You guys are so myopic and hateful. STEROIDS were RAMPANT back then as were other muscle enhancing and doping substances. Drug use of ALL TYPES was rampant in the 60, 70s and 80s. Not everything nowadays is "so bad." Don't shame PEOPLE for being FAT, SHAME U.S. CAPITALISM and GREEDY CORPORATIONS, GREEDY FOOD LOBBIES, GREEDY CAPITALISTS of all types(!) who wanted to keep their POCKETS and PROFITS FAT over the people they MADE FAT.

[@dennybenz5846]

I wonder why they didn't have drag queens in the parade. Where was nelson standing taking video shots.

[@sarahito8951]

These were the parades I loved, for so many reasons. Today the march is just a mega Mardi gras of gross commercialism and over the top behaviors. I suppose that's progress.

[@countbang1305]

No pride rainbow in '83?

[@mrmikeyd2]

No....I can't tell you when the rainbow came about...seems like early 90's

[@mjg239]

The Gay Pride flag was made in 1978 in San Francisco by Gilbert Baker, it's not as widely seen here, but its usage grew each year.

[@marhramyh2489]

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

[@kingdombanner2312]

hell is justified.......

[@opheliahormuz8710]

Scary, what do you mean by that... Five days ago I agreed with the possibility that in all the love of spirit, people can be so evil as to deserve hell. It doesn't refer to any at all indulgence as superior. That amount of evil, by the way, is not worth that point under any circumstances. To make sure people realize who I am, I don't endorse damning anyone still within sentiment. Any automatic defense, still allowing for unimaginable hate and pain, would have transmutations at a level far too complex as to be understood by what we value as embodied, but worrying about thoughts of guidance containing any joy of our own lives isn't that important in going too high in quickly wasting eradicating non-existing future "constructs" as sinful. People will always get the thoughts of the authority of it wrong, what things are by science, as you could have retired this point: don't think this is within democracy and governance; still, don't go "above" Jesus in teachings only to be loving. Hell is not justified. Perfection is unfathomable, still requiring our trying, or more trying, which isn't free.

[@PaulV513]

Your God is pure fiction, but your hate is 100% real.

[@melissaonorati2243]

@@PaulV513 Excuse me? I rebuke you in Jesus name God is real and you are a liar! God is my best Friend and he has blessed and protected me so much and Jesus Loves you and he wants to be in your life but you need to Repent because if you do not have Jesus Christ in your heart, after this life, your soul is in danger of Hell fire; do you know that there is a Heaven and a Hell?

[@otaldopedroandrade]

@shirley tompkins i'm so sorry that all you have is hate in your heart. it must be so scary.

[@wvusciguy]

@Shirly. If you are so offended why are you here watching? In the billion hours of video on you tube I’m sure you can find some fire and brimstone that reinforces your world view that you are just a wee bit better than everyone else.