These womxn led Pride in 1978 when people “were fearful to show up for the parade”

Jacksonville, Florida inaugurated their first Pride celebration way back along the gay liberation timeline in 1978. Jimmy Carter was president, Harvey Milk was a San Francisco supervisor, and Floridians were suffering the scourge of Anita Bryant, whose campaign to “Save the Children” successfully repealed an anti-discrimination ordinance in Miami-Dade County in 1977, which protected LGBTQ+ teachers and other gay and lesbian county employees.

Sound familiar?

Outrage among Jacksonville’s LGBTQ+ community blossomed into River City Pride the very next year.

Like so many other Pride parades around the country, the Jacksonville march is led by a roaring collection of “dykes on bikes.” In 2023, that included the Fat Bottom Girlz Jax Womxn on Motorcycles Club and founder Colleen “Cash” Nevitt.

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“As tradition dictates,” Nevitt told LGBTQ Nation via email, “womxn on motorcycles get the crowd revved up when their engines scream, signaling the start of the parade! The Fat Bottom Girlz Jax were the FIRST womxn’s motorcycle group to open The River City Pride Parade and we’ve continued to do so since 2018.”

“At the end of each parade, we get those bikes pulled over ASAP as they are super-hot by the end. We all gather for one group shot before everyone takes off on their own to go celebrating Pride.”

Colleen “Cash” Nevitt Colleen “Cash” Nevitt and the Fat Bottom Girlz Jax Womxn on Motorcycles Club

“This pic in particular I was very proud of because there were a lot of people who were fearful to show up for the parade, fearing violence. I was so proud of the women who chose to be up front and center with us, kicking off the parade.”

“It was especially significant as we had our new mayor Donna Deegan right behind us, who is our FIRST ever womxn mayor. ❤️