Theres a lot of history packed into the slightly faded color photograph that Lorraine Fontana, a self-described socialist anti-racist lesbian feminist, shared with LGBTQ Nation.Fontana snapped the pic at the Atlanta Pride March in 1973, the first year that ALFA, the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance that she co-founded, participated as an organization. Related A photographer grabbed an iconic photo when the Obergefell decision was handed down Relationships are built on love, not by their genders. Fontana guesses a few hundred people showed up that day to march down Peachtree Street. Progressive churches turned out supporters along the route; others, the opposite. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Some folks wore paper bags over their heads to both protest anti-gay discrimination and demonstrate how being in the closet was still necessary to many people.At the intersection of Pine and Piedmont, Fontana assembled with friends, and one lover, before stepping off to march. At far left is Freddie Creed, a dyke from Alabama who at the time was being supported nationally against criminal charges for embracing and kissing a woman in a gay bar in Alabama.Creed and her companion had been approached by an undercover vice detective at the Matador bar in Birmingham, as Creed comforted her friend who was in distress. At trial, the detective claimed he could clearly see across the dimly lit bar that the women were fondling one anothers genitals. Who was victimized by our actions? Creed asked in an open letter published in a gay rag at the time, addressed to Dear Gay People and Friends.Creed spoke at the small rally that day in Piedmont Park following the march down Peachtree Street.At center is Mike, who Fontana remembers as a gentle and sweet gay male friend, who may or may not have been a member of the Gay Liberation Front.He had a great sign: I am your worst enemy I am your best fantasy.'At right is Elaine Kolb, Fontanas first woman lover and a co-founder of ALFA.After a trip to Cuba with the Venceremos Brigade in support of the Cuban Revolution and as the only out lesbian in the group Kolb moved to Atlanta and met Fontana when she was living in a household of women who all attended Emory Universitygrad school.She stayed the night, and my first same-sex sexualexperience followed, Fontana recalls.Kolb went on to host the first lesbian-focused radio show in Atlanta, Lesbian Woman on WRFG, the same year she was seen in Fontanas photo. Fontana sees both differences and similarities in the fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights then and now.Similarin that we still are often in the midst of identity-based politics, and some orgs still focus on those identities to form their membership. Early activists did have what we now call anintersectional analysis, and our social justice actions touched on not just sexual orientation but issues of class, race, disability, etc., as well as gender.Different, Fontana adds, in that we clearly have an expanded view of identity, and much more recognitionand acceptance frommainstream society, even as we are undergoing another backlash.That backlash should not be a source of despair, she says. Speak up, be out and loud, resist publicly, and look for and support allies in decision-making positions. Solidarity and community are all important.We are at anotherturning point, she says, and more and more people are seeing the danger and speaking out. We are not alone, and despair is not a healthy, or meaningful, option.Pride in Pictures is LGBTQ Nations annual series celebrating Pride across the country.We asked our readers to send in their pictures and stories of Prideand we got so many rainbows. Keep an eye out for more heartwarming stories to get you ready for Pride Month 2025.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.