Noho Pride started as the Northampton Lesbian and Gay Liberation March, which was first held in May 1982.
[1] The march was organized in response to harassment that LGBTQ residents were facing and to legislation which denied money to groups that "promoted homosexuality".
[1][2][3] The march was organized by the Gay and Lesbian Activists (GALA), who consisted of local residents.
[1] Educators who joined the march wore paper bags over their heads to disguise their identities, as they could be fired if their employers knew they were gay.
[16] One group, the Queer Insurgency Collective, protested the supposed commercialization, racially homogenous, and apolitical nature of the event.