The focus of disagreement at the 1973 and 1974 Prides was the inclusion of drag performers, including Sylvia Sidney as Queen of the Parade.

The Boston Ledger editorialized: “The parade was no more than an attention-getting device to kick off the week and to draw attention to the gay community. But it was a poorly chosen tactic, because it merely underlined the image that many people have of a homosexual as a one-dimensional drag queen.” At the March, many lesbians wore a woman-made button, “Stars and Dykes Forever”. (see https://www.dykeaquarterly.com/topic-lesbian-buttons/ )

The 1974 co-chairs were Lois Johnson from DOB and Bernie Toale, who designed the Lavender Rhino as a symbol of gay pride. Toale and two other men incorporated the name “Lavender Rhino, Inc.” as a for-profit organization. A mascot was created named Mache Rhino, who rode on a flatbed truck. The Lavender Rhino theme continued into the mid- 1980s.

Attendance was estimated at over 1,500.

The first public billboard with an explicit gay theme was unveiled in Boston. The Lavender Rhino was painted on a wall (residential) bordering W. Canton and Warren Ave., South End.