Fireworks over pride: is the proposal to move San Francisco pride to July 4 a gutsy political statement or just a bad idea? (Society).

A proposal to move San Francisco's gay pride celebration from its traditional end-of-June date to Independence Day has ignited a debate in the city almost as lively as Fourth of July fireworks. But the sparks are not only coming from straight residents concerned that the rainbow flag might trump the Stars and Stripes--they're also coming from gay folks who say pride and patriotism don't always mix.

At a January 14 forum, officials from Pride on the 4th, a gay group proposing the date change, said moving the 2004 pride festival to July 4 would make a political statement to the entire nation. "Independence Day symbolizes the lofty ideals upon which this country was founded, yet queer people in this nation are regularly denied many of the basic fights that others take for granted," explained organizer James Devinny. Group members said they also want to commemorate the efforts of gay activists who from 1965 to 1959 picketed outside Philadelphia's Independence Hall every July 4 as an "annual reminder" of the U.S. government's mistreatment of gay people.

But almost everyone at the forum opposed the date change. Representatives from the Dyke March, Dykes on Bikes, and Community United Against Violence said the inherent focus on patriotism on Independence Day might dilute the purpose of the gay pride observance. "If we do it on the Fourth of July, we support [U.S. military] violence. We support racism," said Morningstar Vancil, a Native American artist.

Still, Pride on the 4th does have its supporters, some of whom say the move would be a welcome change for a sometimes tired tradition. "Stonewall has been justly celebrated but unquestionably reflects the experience of the gay-lib generation," said Susan Stryker, executive director of the LGBT Historical Society of Northern California. "I find it encouraging that younger people want to make pride their own by reaching further into the past."

The final vote, however, rests with the the organizing group San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee, which is expected to announce its decision regarding the proposed date change sometime in early March.