Tag: Stonewall 50

The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots have passed, and as an integral part of the anniversary and the 50 years leading up to it, I have an inside track and knowledge as to who the players were and how they did their jobs for our community. Two organizations failed our community this year. That failure led to misinformation of our history. Professional organizations should preserve our history, not rewrite it. The worst offender? GLAAD The organization that is supposed to monitor...

What do Bette Midler, Billy Porter, and the hot mohawk guy from Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity have in common? They all graced the stage at WeParty’s WorldPride NYC event, where they entertained a crowd of over 13,000 people from around the world. The event included a lot of major talent, with Cyndi Lauper, celebrity DJs, and castmembers from the legendary off-Broadway show Stomp. The size of the crowd set a world record for the largest pride party in history....

from instagram.com/cjenmanWorldPride 2019 in New York was as epic and exciting as expected, with a long weekend of shows all over the city and a parade filled with celebrities (on June 30) that was blessed by a beautiful and (mostly) sunny day. Then closing ceremonies in Times Square included performances by Jake Shears (above), Melissa Ethridge, Margaret Cho, and a long list of other speakers and musicians. Approximately 5 million people attended the WorldPride events that weekend, including 100,000 people...

When the Stonewall riots erupted during the steamy pre-dawn hours of June 28, 1969, they quickly transformed what had been a small but longstanding push for queer equality into a mass movement. Multiple organizations were born in the wake of street protests triggered by the police raid of a Mafia-owned gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. It’s tempting to portray what came next as a march of relentless progress, but that characterization ignores the episodic nature of social...

Cody Barlow, left, with Editor-in-Chief of Oklahoma City’s The Gayly, at the start of the Oklahoma City Pride parade. From facebook.com/thegayly.Cody Barlow, the self-described “country boy” with the rainbow pride pickup truck, joined the Oklahoma City Pride parade on June 22 and was greeted like a superstar, with cheers, tears, and lots of hugs from spectators throughout the event. Barlow, a Navy veteran, lives in Wagoner, Okla., a small rural town in central Oklahoma. He was invited to participate...

Queer Eye‘s Bobby Berk says that he’d like to see more Stonewall-style riots in Middle America. Speaking to The Daily Beast, Berk warns of “religious freedom,” conservative judges, and “stupid Mitch McConnell” rolling back LGBTQ protections. Berk says that non-violent riots and protests would “keep up the fight.” Bobby Berk didn’t find out about Stonewall until he moved to New York City in 2003. He says, “Growing up in the middle of Missouri, I never heard of them. It wasn’t taught...

50 years after the Stonewall Riots and we’re still fighting for equality. A lot has changed in the past 50 years. I was a gay kid growing up in South Dakota who said the words, “I’m gay” for the first time while riding my dad’s John Deer so no one would hear me. 13-year-old-me back in 1996 couldn’t dream of a world where our lives and our love would be part of the American conversation. It’s hard to be what you...

To honor World Pride, New York City is renaming the iconic Gay Street in Greenwich Village to be more inclusive. But if you think ever-expanding list of letters to describe the LGBTQ community is getting too long, wait until you see the street sign. For two weeks, Gay Street will be called “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Nonbinary, Pansexual, Two Spirit, + Street.” And, of course, the tongue-tangling name requires a new sign – maybe the most awesomely...

Bud Light has launched a new limited series of rainbow colored bottles to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The aluminum bottles will be sold nationwide. The company will donate $1 to GLAAD for every case of beer sold. “Bud Light has been a supporter of the LGBTI community since the 80s and we are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with GLAAD by collaborating with them on this new commemorative bottle that celebrates the LGBTI community and everything...