[Gay Rights - Nonpartisan Referendum - Adlai Stevenson III]

Transcript (Download)

I'm going to conclude by asking you one exact question.

Can I get your help in my fight to make this city the best city in the world? Yeah! We go! We go! We go! I know it! That's why I'm here! We go! We go! You get in, bird! You have a machine in depreciation, because you're not here anymore.

Alright! Let me conclude by saying, you made my day! Thank you very much! How about that? Yeah! Who sent these to you? Hey, Mayor Washington! Take care! Thank you, Rick! Take care, everyone! Okay, we've got a lot of entertainment.

A lot of the groups have been practicing for a long time.

We want you to stay on the floor.

We've got one...

The victory! In the name of Jesus! In the name of Jesus! We have the victory! In the name of Jesus! In the name of Jesus! We are gay and lesbian people, and we are singing, singing for our lives.

We are all colors and religions.

We are all colors and religions.

Every board in this city, and we vote! And to all 50 aldermen, we will say, we are watching you! Please be there, Tuesday, city council meeting! We want our rights now! We are gentle, angry people, and we are singing, singing for our lives.

We will vote! We will vote! Closets are for things, not for people.

That closets are for clothes, inanimate, not for flesh and blood human beings.

And that's what's so remarkably good about the gay movement, about the lesbian movement, but the whole civil rights movement, starting with Martin Luther King and centuries before.

And so it's black people, Hispanic people.

Gay and straight together, Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe.

The roll call are 17 ayes, 30 nays.

The order is defeated.

Move to reconsider.

All in favor say aye.

Who's next? Unfinished business.

We shall overcome someday.

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe.

We shall overcome someday.

We shall overcome.

We shall overcome someday.

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe.

Say, say, say, say, say! To those who vote anyway, except yes, we say this.

Every single alderman in this city is up for reelection in February of 1987.

Tillman changed her vote! Tillman is a yes! Tillman was a yes! Toot is gotta go! Toot is gotta go! Shame, shame, shame, shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! I certainly want to apologize for being late.

Let's get out that vote for whatever we have to do with 1987.

We look forward to seeing you again in the election campaign and this year.

Thank you so much.

God bless everybody.

There is another reality that I see when I look at...

The reason for that is that there is no person steeped in politics who has honed and struggled down to a very fine art, such as the minority community and especially the black community, who can oppose civil rights.

The problem with that particular bill of ordinance is that, in my opinion, many persons did not want to attach themselves to the morality question.

But in terms of the rightfulness of a person enjoying all the liberties of the authority of anyone else, we have to be for that.

So if there is a kind of tradition here at all, it's between the moral issue and the civil rights issue, one of which we totally support and one of which we cannot in fact support to its fullest, the moral issue because we have to go home to our constituencies.

I'm certain that's what all men have in mind.

That's why y 'all marching.

Bunch of homosexuals.

I know your fat ass.

I'm gonna burn your ass up, punk.

You ain't nothing but a homosexual.

If I take my dick out, you'll go for it.

You'll come on this side if I take my swipe out.

You back of the ass motherfucker.

Let's put all the shields over here and then disperse.

I want to tell you something.

It's not real difficult to tell you.

There's only nine more months.

And let me tell you what that means.

You want to know something? You're one of the best reporters I know.

You always ask the right questions.

You know what the right question is? What's the right question I can answer? If you want to give me to someone, why don't I...

...said that the mayor's people have found enough invalid signatures to knock the nonpartisan referendum off the ballot.

I predict Harold Washington will win a second term in 1987, regardless of whether he runs in a nonpartisan primary or in the partisan primary system that we currently have.

Agree or disagree? I tend to agree based on what I've seen so far.

I predict that Mayor Washington will win.

I think it's going to be even more racial.

It's going to sweep the city black and white, but I don't think it's going to win.

I think people are tired of race -baiting politics.

The reason that I have been so vigorously involved in this particular drive is because I honestly and sincerely do not believe the city of Chicago can survive another four years if we have an election.

Like we had back in 1983.

Consequently, I am doing everything I possibly can to give the residents of the city of Chicago, first of all, the opportunity to decide if they want to go with this nonpartisan election.

And then, if we do go with the nonpartisan election, to elect someone as mayor of the city of Chicago with better than 50 % of the vote, the majority of the vote, who will be able to truly unite this city and lead this city forward.

Because it has been on a downhill slide for a number of years, primarily because the city has not been united.

If I may follow up.

You love this summer too, don't you? Yeah, that's right.

What do I do? You guys do it here.

Does Ottoman Verdola have the correct political line here? Do you concur with Alderman Burke's analysis of the current situation? ...to the necessity of reversing the economic collapse, every one of us.

...and I also believe that the people will be with me, because they don't want four more years of politics as usual.

Bezley, you're supposed to be on strike today.

My timing isn't so good after all.

Well, I wish the students were back there resting.

I know, they're all night easier, they're tougher than you are.

But I do have what? Early on...

...Brendland Brooks' line about, I astonish you, and astonish you is what we need more on.

Wonder! You're going to stand before God, you're going to stand before God and give account for what you've done in this life.

You're not going to escape it.

I don't care what you say, I don't care what you do.

Why don't you take one of our leaflets and read it, sir, you need it.

Everybody's going to need God in their life.

How about back away a little bit? Everybody's going to need God in their life.

Neighborhood lifestyle of sin will take you in a place called hell.

Hell, neighbors, for the torment.

The Bible says that you turn them over to be a reprimanded mind.

To do that, we're just as similar, just as we seem right, going against nature.

Identifier

F.2005-08-0154

Date Of Production

circa 1985 – 1986

Abstract

Content notice: this film contains hate speech and hateful imagery from 07:19 - 07:53.

Loosely assembled footage depicts the following: Mayor Harold Washington delivers a speech at the Gay Pride Parade in Lincoln Park; a candlelit vigil is held in support of a gay-rights ordinance in Daley Center Plaza on July 27, 1986; Studs Terkel delivers a speech in support of gay rights; Pope John Paul II holds an open-air mass in Grant Park on October 5, 1979; Washington aide Clarence McClain compares “moral issues” with “civil rights issues”; neo-Nazis and local residents taunt each other on opposite sides of a street; an individual wearing a caricatured Ronald Reagan mask stands inside a limousine’s sunroof; Jane Byrne announces, “There’s only nine more months...”; Bill Stamets solicits observations from fellow newspaper reporters about a potential nonpartisan referendum; U.S. Rep. William Lipinski expresses his support for a nonpartisan mayoral election proposal to the press; Bill Stamets comically interviews pigs about Ald. Ed Vrdolyak’s and Ald. Edward Burke’s political stances; a supporter of Sheila Jones’ mayoral candidacy displays a banner; Adlai Stevenson III announces his candidacy for Illinois Governor at Oak Park River-Forest High School on October 22, 1985; a proselytizer at the corner of State and Madison Streets asks Bill Stamets to “back away a little bit.”

Format

Super 8

Extent

200 feet

Color

color and B&W

Sound

Mag Stripe

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Language Of Materials

English

Element

Reversal Positives

Subject

Civil rights
Government officials
Neo-Nazism
Political campaigns
Political elections
Politicians
Racism
Religious services

Preservation Sponsor

Related Collections

Subseries II: Footage

Related Places

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago ➜ Lincoln Park

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago ➜ Loop

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Oak Park

Main Credits

Stamets, Bill (is filmmaker)

Participants And Performers

Washington, Harold (is participant)

Terkel, Studs (is participant)

Paul, John II (is participant)

McClain, Clarence (is participant)

Byrne, Jane (is participant)

Lipinski, Bill (is participant)

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