The late John Mitzel recalled in a 2012 interview, “the idea for a [Boston Pride] march was in the air” in the winter and spring of 1971.

He, Charley Shively, and several others met in an apartment in the Fenway neighborhood to organize the first March. “We knew that if anyone was actually going to [organize a march], it would be us.” It’s very likely that Diane Travis and Laura McMurry were also present that day.

When the March took place, it sought to highlight four oppressive institutions in Boston: the police, the government, hostile bars, and religious institutions. The March is believed to have assembled at the corner of Tremont and Boylston Streets across from the offices of the Homophile Health Center. From there, it proceeded to Jacques, a bar in Bay Village.

The Rev. Magorah Kennedy, an African-American woman and member of the Pride Committee (hereafter “Pride”), read the list of demands created by many women who frequented the bar: “Because we can’t go anywhere else, because as gay women we have been especially ghettoized here in Boston, and because the conditions at gay bars are by and large determined by the straight world, those in control know they can be as oppressive as they want. Jacques is terribly crowded and a fire hazard on weekends. Women entering the bar were subject to taunts by [straight] men, who not only [took] up badly needed room but also got their kicks leering and propositioning the women here. Sanitary conditions hardly exist at all. We are effectively ghettoized, since dancing between members of the same sex and other behavior, which the law deems to call lewd and lascivious, are illegal.”

The marchers then headed to Boston Police Headquarters at the corner of Berkeley and Stanhope Streets. There, Pride member Dana Kaplan demanded, “1) That all entrapment cases cease. 2) That vague laws, such as those against loitering, disorderly conduct, and lewd and lascivious behavior not be used to harass homosexuals. 3) That the police provide protection, rather than harassment, in areas around gay bars. 4) And that the police meet with representatives of the homophile organizations to facilitate communication and implement the above demands.”

The third stop was in front of the State House, where Laura Mc- Murry insisted “1) That all the following laws pertaining to homosexuality be repealed, including Mass. Chapter 272, section 34 and 35, as well as the city ordinance against same sex dancing together. 2) That legislation be enacted to end discrimination against people in employment, housing, and in the use of public facilities because of their sexual orientation.”

The marchers continued up Beacon Street and down Park Street to Tremont Street to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Richard York, a founder and president of HUB, announced the final demands: “1) That the church accept qualified gay persons for ordination and other religious work. 2) That the church recognizes and blesses the love of homosexuals as it does for heterosexuals. 3) That the church lends its support to the reexamination of the institution of marriage and the family, which in its present form legally discriminates against homosexuals. 4) That the church lend its support to the reexamination of roles based on sex, with particular attention to the fact that its support of these sex roles has oppressed women and homosexuals.”

The marchers then rallied on Boston Common at Parkman Bandstand. In an article for the Advocate, Mitzel later described a “closet smashing” at the Rally, which was “staged around a large brown closet bearing such inscriptions as ‘What if my boss finds out?’ and ‘What if my family finds out?’ Demonstrators joined hands around the structure, chanting, ‘Come out! Come out!’ Then the closet occupant suddenly emerged and bolted into the arms of someone portraying a waiting lover. The structure itself was literally torn apart amid general hilarity.” Organizers counted 300 marchers; Boston Police estimated 100-150. Turnout would be a constant debate between police and organizers for many years. Once again, there was a dance at the Charles Street Meeting House and, early Sunday morning, those attending the Christopher Street March in NYC returned to the Meeting House to board buses.