The first Dyke March was formed in Washington D.C., during the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation, and held on April 24, 1993. 350 women participated in the demonstration. Later, in October 1981, the now-defunct organization Lesbians Against the Right held a "Dykes in the Streets" march in Toronto, Ontario, with lesbian power, pride, and visibility as the theme. Approximately 200 lesbians attending the fifth Bi-National Lesbian Conference marched through downtown streets chanting "Look over here, look over there, lesbians are everywhere!" In Europe, Dyke Marches also take place in Berlin and London.īefore the concept of a "Dyke March" came to be, one of the first documented lesbian pride marches in North America took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in May 1981. In North America, Dyke Marches are now held in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens in New York City, Asbury Park, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Long Beach, Minneapolis, Oakland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (Maine), Portland (Oregon), San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and West Hollywood in the United States and Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg in Canada. Larger metropolitan areas usually have several Pride-related happenings (picnics, workshops, arts festivals, parties, benefits, dances, bar events) both before and after the march to further community building with outreach to specific segments such as older women, women of color, and lesbian parenting groups. Dyke marches commonly take place the Friday or Saturday before LGBT pride parades.
The main purpose of a Dyke March is the encouragement of activism within the lesbian community. A Dyke March is a lesbian visibility and protest march, much like the original Gay Pride parades and gay rights demonstrations.